"Albumen Print. Three Javanese Dancers. Indonesia. Universal Exhibition, 1889."
Large vintage albumen print showing three young Indonesian girls in the reconstituted Javanese
Kampong in the heart of Paris for the Universal Exhibition of 1889. These three traditional dancers were part of a group of four, aged 12 to 16, sent to Paris to the occasion by Sultan Manka Negara. Armed with kriss, they seem to simulate a duel for the photographer. The Javanese girls, with their slow movements and graceful poses, drew crowds; Proust, Mallarmé, Degas, Debussy and Ravel flocked to admire the young girls dancing to the sound of gamelans.
Good general condition: a central fold, a fold and a tear at the lower corners.