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© Estate of George Platt Lynes. Image courtesy Michael C. Carlos Museum, Emory University.
Orpheus and Eurydice
© Estate of George Platt Lynes. Image courtesy Michael C. Carlos Museum, Emory University.
© Estate of George Platt Lynes. Image courtesy Michael C. Carlos Museum, Emory University.
© Estate of George Platt Lynes. Image courtesy Michael C. Carlos Museum, Emory University.
ClassificationsWorks of Art on Paper
Artist (American, 1907 - 1955)

Orpheus and Eurydice

Date1936
MediumGelatin silver print
Credit LineGift of Linda Hyman
Dimensions11 x 14 in. (27.9 x 35.6 cm)
Object number1995.011.007
Label TextChoreography: George Balanchine
Music: Christoph Willibald Gluck
Costumes: Pavel Tchelitchew
Premiere: May 22, 1936, American Ballet Ensemble, Metropolitan Opera House, New York.

Lynes called it his "good fortune" to be able to work closely with Balanchine who posed the dancers for this particular photographic session. In 1935 Balanchine and Kirstein had accepted an invitation to become the resident troupe of the Metropolitan Opera. In this production the opera singers performed unseen in the orchestra pit, while the dancers took the stage. The principal dancers were William Dollar as Amor, Daphne Vane as Eurydice, and Lew Christensen as Orpheus. The scenery and costumes designed by the painter Tchelitchev were quite innovative for the time. The production, however, was poorly received by both opera audiences and critics and was only presented twice.

Exhibition HistoryThe Atmosphere of Performance: Ballet Photographs by George Platt Lynes, Michael C. Carlos Museum, February 1 - June 1, 2003
ProvenanceWith Linda Hyman (1940-2010) [Linda Hyman Fine Arts], New York, New York, purchased May 1990.
Status
Not on view
Collections
  • Works of Art on Paper