Albumen Print. Javanese Dancers. Indonesia. Universal Exhibition, 1889.

Large vintage albumen print showing a group of six Indonesian women in the Javanese Kampong reconstituted in the middle of Paris for the 1889 Universal Exhibition.
In the foreground, richly dressed, four young dancers: Sarrkiem, Thamina, Soukia and Ouakiham are aged between 12 and 16 years. These young Tandaks were the property of Sultan Manka Negara, who agreed to send the most talented members of his ballet corps to Paris for the occasion. The young Javanese girls, with their slow movements and graceful poses, attracted the crowds. Proust, Mallarmé, Degas, Debussy and Ravel flocked to admire the four young girls dancing to the sound of the gamelans. 

Good condition: one central crease and two corner creases, small tear without loss at the bottom of the photograph.