Regency,  Artwork analysis,  Quadrilles

Quadrille caricature: vindication of mistake

Regency dance is hard, it’s easy to make mistake.

And once again, you fell. Maybe you simply slipped. Or – the classic – you miserably crashed into another dancer during a dos à dos.

My specialty mistake is to forget who my partner is. I grab the closest dancer for a very akward hand turn.

We all remember an enormous mistake that we did.

How did the people do, at the time, to keep their composure?

According to the dance manuals, that kind of embarrassing situation never happens. The dancers are always elegant and refined. In that ideal world, everyone is a skilled dancer. Nothing ever goes wrong.

Same situation in the historical movies: from Sissi to Bridgerton, the balls only gather experiences dancers. No one misses the start of a figure, no one barely catches himself to avoid a fall. On screen, you never see any mistake.

Can you believe it?

We, dancers, we know well that the truth is different. Who never stumbled while dancing? Who can claim never to make a mistake?

Even professional dancers come a cropper sometimes. So the social dancers cannot escape it, whatever the period.

This is where the dancer’s “feel good” source comes in: the caricature. What can an exaggerated drawing or a sarcastic caption give us when so many other sources are available?

Quite simply: the truth.

Beneath the humour, criticism and exaggeration of the caricature, there is always a core of truth. That taste of authentic “lived experience” that is missing from the writings of dance masters and blockbusters. It can only do us good to see the ball as something other than a romantic film scene or a theoretical space.

So I’d like to offer a counterpoint to the usual storybook image, by studying some of Gorge Cruikshank’s caricature. George who?

(In)elegances of Quadrille dancing

The caricature series that interests us today revolves around quadrille. That dance was born at the dawn of 19th century, building up on some fashionable country dance figures. At Cruikshank’s time, during the English Regency, intricate footwork was in use.

The dancers are encouraged to demonstrate their virtuosity. Fatally, there are collateral victims.

Accidents in Quadrille Dancing – Dos à dos

Cruikshank caricature cartoon quadrille regency dos à dos dance ballroom
George Cruikshank, Dos à Dos. Accidents in Quadrille Dancing, Planche 1, published March 4th 1817 at H.Humphrey, 27 St james’s Street.

Who did never utterly fail while performing a dosido? Who did never end up “ass to ass” with a stranger because of a trajectory error?

That is the topic of that first artwork in a series dedicated to quadrille. Two dancers bump into each others, under the worried or snide gaze of the other participants. A lady even hide a smile behind her fan.

Cruikshank offers us a quite static version of the scene. The characters are stiff, and, let’s say it, not very expressive. Yes, the colliding dancer lifts his arms as a gesture of surprise. Yes, the man in the back covers his face, under the shock.

But globally the audience stays especially reserved, even apathetic watching the scene. The British stiff upper lip, maybe?

Cruikshank sketched the background in a basic way: a bench to welcome tired behinds, candles chandeliers to light up the dancefloor. Just enough to fill up the walls that otherwise would look empty.

He give a bit more detail to the balcony that hosts the musicians (harp, violin, horn…). That placement is typical of the assembly rooms, so it is a public ball. That maybe explains whu the dancers are so calm: they have to put on a brave face and avoid gossip at all costs.

The same mistake used in 1805

That theme of the botched dosido is not new.

caricature dance cartoon regency quadrille dancing mistake bump
Attributed to George Cruikshank, Natural Accidents in Quadrille Dancing, plate 9, published by McCleary, Nassau Street, Dublin.

That engraving from 1805, titled “Natural accidents in practising Quadrille Dancing” show a dynamic and detailed scene on the same topic. It is attributed to George Cruikshnak, but I doubt that.

In 1805 indeed, George was only 13. It’s true that George began his career at a very young age, thanks to a privileged training with his father Isaac. But his drawing style is also different from his other work. More rounded, more dynamic, more alive, so to speak. That’s why I don’t think this is George’s work.

Evenmore, the artwork states as publishe “McCleary, Nassau Street, Dublin”.

During 18th and 19th century, Dublin was the home to an important trade in pirated copies of caricatures. Apparently the Cruikshanks never worked with McCleary: it is a fake. I wasn’t able to find back the original – that is maybe from Cruikshank, father or son.

Whoever is the creator of that engraving, he has talent. The protagonists of the accidents have a dynamic posture. We see the male dancers rushing to offer help. The female dancers are calmer. As on the previous engraving, a lady mocks the scene, laughing behind her fan.

You’ll notice a gaz chandelier hanging from the ceiling. Much more modern that the candle chandelier of the 1817’s version – yet published 12 years later.

On the walls, paintings depict some graceful ballet dancers. That creates a strong contrast with the scene happening on the ground. George Cruikshank used the same layout of mocking painting in La Belle Assemblée.

An Irish copy

The same McCleary from Dublin published, during the same period “Dos a Dos – Accidents in Quadrille Dancing” under n°4. The layout is identical to the 1817’s cartoon – but in mirror.

Caricature dance cartoon accident quadrille ball dance
Anonymous, Dos à Dos, Accidents in Quadrille Dancing, n°4, published by McCleary, Nassau Street, Dublin.

The setting is different. If I said that Cruikshank only sketched the surroundings in the first caricature, it is even worse here: a chandelier, some curtains around a big empty white wall. On the right, 2 violin players.

A common mistake in 1817 too

Another engraving bears the same subtitle: “Dos a dos or Rumpti iddity ido. Natural accidents in practising Quadrille Dancing“. Published in 1817, it is sometimes attributed to James Gillray (1757-1815). so it must be posthumous.

historical dancing quadrille dosido falling dancers evening
Dos à Dos or rumpti iddito ido, publisked May 1817 by S. W. Fores, n°50 Piccadilly.

« Rumpti iddity ido », is the chorus for several popular songs and nursery rhymes of the 19th century.

The artist show the same elements: the mistake that out the couple in difficulty, the worried male dancers, the female dancers stoic or mocking.

They adds characters in the back: an old man complaining, a couple chatting in front of the buffet and a couple of bashful lovers.

Impressive sconces in the shape of dragons and snakes light up the room. Could this be a reference to original sin?

A solution for the dangerous dos à dos

The number of artworkd about dos à dos accidents is so high, it proves that is must happen often. So is it unavoidable?

No, it is not !

Thomas Wilson, offers us a simple solution in his Quadrille and cotillion panorama (1822, p.25).

In passing round each other, care must be taken to extend the Circle, to prevent the Dancers coming in contact with each other; which, amongst learners, too frequently occurs.

Thomas Wilson, Quadrille and cotillion panorama (…), 2e édition, R. & E. Williamson, Londes, 1822, p.25.

So dancers should follow a circular trajectory to avoid any inconvenience. Instead of following a pattern of straight lines (forward, to the side, backward), Wilson proposes to follow a round line, clockwise, always facing the same direction.

On that way, the risk of collision decreases a lot.

Accidents in Quadrille Dancing – Vis à Vis

Quadrille regency vis à vis avant-deux quadrille dance drawing fall
George Cruikshank, Vis à Vis. Accidents in Quadrille Dancing, Planche 2, published April 15th 1817 by H. Humphrey.

The second part of the “Quadrille” series show a incident similar to the dos à dos one. That dangerous figure is the “vis-à-vis” (or avant-deux, forward and back), where two dancers go forward to each other, then backward to theirs starting place.

But a slight mistake and… the dancer slipped! And to make matters worse, he holds on to the lady’s dress.

It’s a reflex, certainly a human one, but it’s a mistake that should be avoided at all costs. But why? If I have to explain to you why you shouldn’t hold on to your dancer’s skirt in case of a fall, you might not belong at a ball yet 🙂

Maybe you wonder how one can stumble during such a simple figure?

At the time, people don’t walk, they dance! I mean that they use intricate footwork, combining technique and agility: chassés, sissonnes, assemblés… But hey! Not everyone is Trénitz or Vestris, and you can easily quickly get your feet tangled.

The other dancers look panic-struck. One rushes to help, one screams… or one makes fun, as the lady in front. In the caricatures, the fan is more often used to conceal some giggles than to refresh yourself.

Notice that amongst the persons offering help, a man was just arriving (or about to leave). He dropped his hat and walking stick in the haste. And he might even have dropped his wife’s or daughter’s reticule!

As for the first plate, the theme is not proper to Cruikshank.

Yale’s library has an engraving titled “Wrong contre, or Vis-à-vis : natural accidents in practising Quadrille Dancing“. The London editor S.W. Fores publishes that one in May 1817, under no. 2.

caricature dance cartoon quadrille regency falling private ball
Wrong contre, or Vis-à-vis : natural accidents in practising Quadrille Dancing, n°2, published in May 1817 by S.W.Fores, n°50 Piccadilly. Courtesy of The Lewis Walpole Library, Yale University.

Funnily enough, it’s no longer a lady who’s laughing, but a soldier, hiding behind his bicorne.

Inconveniences in Quadrille Dancing – Les Grâces

Les Grâces is a quite popular dance in England in the 1810s. John Duval choose it as the 4th figure for his « Celebrated Lancers », or « Lancer’s Quadrille », in 1817. To know more about the history of that quadrille, see Paul Cooper‘s excellent article.

les grâces lancer's quadrile drawing humour historical dancing
George Cruikshank, Les Graces. Inconveniences in Quadrille Dancing, Plate 3, published April 9th 1817 by H. Humphrey.

he most striking feature of “Les Grâces” is the moment where the lead twirls his left and right partners under his arms. There are no mistake here. Rather, a difficulty arising from the significant difference in size between the dancers.

The contorted dancers go to great lengths to execute the movement without error. They really do. And all for nothing, because the people in the audience aren’t even looking at them!

The lone male dancer, on the left, is speaking to the fortepiano player. In the back, a couple makes eyes at each others, not aware of what is happening around them. A lady come to touch (dust?) the shoulder of the remaining dancer.

The only ones that seems to care about the figure are a blasé young man, and a lady hiding behind her fan. Again and again that way to hide the giggles!

On the walls, two paintings taunt the dancers. On the Left, two ballet dancers, on their pointes, in a pose that requires flexibility and balance. They represent the ideal, the perfection that one seeks to reach. On the Right, two stocky dancers in country-style clothes, are dancing gracelessly to the sound of the pipes.

Moral of the story: relax! Have fun, without care for the others’ gaze. They probably don’t look at you anyways.

That drawing had quite a success. Indeed, McCleary (him again), publishes a rough copy in 1817. The composition is the same as the original, but in mirror.

inconveniences in quadrille dancing les graces lancers dance cartoon early 19th century
Les Graces. Inconveniences in Quadrille Dancing, n°6, published in 1817 by McCleary.

Elegancies in Quadrille Dancing – Moulinet

First of all, notice that the shown figure, despite the title, is not a moulinet.

Have a good look: two ladies give their right hand in the centre, while the others give their left hand. As a result, the composition is more balanced, because all the ladies are facing us, and all the men show their backs.

Giving the wrong hand in a moulinet is a common mistake. However, I think that here the artist really wants to show us dancers who are simply having fun.

moulinet elegance du quadrille regency pivate ball dance cartoon caricature
George Cruikshank, Moulinet. Elegancies in Quadrille Dancing, Planche 4, published April 17th 1817 by H. Humphrey.

Notice the Asian-styled chandeliers – there is a touch of orientalism here.

Have a llok at the time: it is 10 o’clock. The ball is in full swing. On the clock sits a figure with a scythe, astride a bird. It’s Father Time, astride a bird. This personification of Time is close to Cronos and Saturn. It symbolises the inexorable passing of time.

I understand the presence of that character as a call to live fully in the moment. You only live once, have fun!

Conclusions

First of all, I hope that those artworks helped you to gain confidence. The fear of mistake often paralyses the dancers, may they be beginners or experienced. It’s a shame, because mistakes are an integral part of learning.

I would go even further: by making mistakes, we are historically correct! The proof is in the many caricatures. The sheer number of copies and repeats of this theme shows just how popular these drawings were. At the time, too, dance lovers needed to laugh at themselves and play down their mistakes.

What did you like about this article? Did it help you to play down your mistakes and slips?

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