Curtsy Collection

May Milton, 1895. Artist: Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec
May Milton, 1895. Poster. Toulouse-Lautrec, Henri, de (1864-1901). Found in the collection of the State A. Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts, Moscow

Queen Charlottes Ball 1939
Debutantes curtsy as H.H Princess Helena Victoria cuts a giant birthday cake at Queen Charlottes Ball at Grosvenor House. The ball was one of the most important dates in the social calendar

Debutantes Curtsying
Debutantes learning to curtsy at the famous Josephine Bradley School, preparing to be presented at Buckingham Palace and other High Society events, at the start of the Season. Date: 1930s

Zoetrope optical illusion disc
2623846 Zoetrope optical illusion disc; (add.info.: Zoetrope optical illusion disc which is spun displaying the illusion of motion of a man bowing)

Her Majesty's Drawingroom at Buckingham Palace, 1876. Creator: Unknown
Her Majesty's Drawingroom at Buckingham Palace, 1876. The...ceremony of personally introducing ladies to the Queen, beside whom stand their Royal Highnesses the Princess of Wales

Airs and graces, 1872-1909. Creator: Laura Theresa Epps Alma-Tadema
Airs and graces, 1872-1909

The Sultan at the Fancy-Dress Ball given by the Viscountess Stratford de Redcliffe, at the British E Creator: Unknown
The Sultan at the Fancy-Dress Ball given by the Viscountess Stratford de Redcliffe, at the British Embassy, at Pera, 1856

Brovish, Miss, 1923 Feb. 10. Creator: Arnold Genthe
Brovish, Miss, 1923 Feb. 10

De Carleton, Grace, Miss, 1918 Aug. Creator: Arnold Genthe
De Carleton, Grace, Miss, 1918 Aug

Young lady curtsying on a street, 18th century. Copperplate engraving from The Polite Academy, or Instructions for a Genteel Behaviour and Polite Address in Masters and Misses, R

Queen Victorias Diamond Jubilee: Drawing-Room at Buckingham Palace, May 11, 1897, (1901). 60th anniversary of the accession to the throne of Victoria (1819-1901)

Queen Mary at Bedford College, London, 1913, (1935). Creator: Unknown
Queen Mary at Bedford College, London, 1913, (1935). Staff and students curtseying to Queen Mary of Teck (1867-1953). Another aspect of the great movement for the emancipation of women was the steady

Mlle. Marthe Regnier, role de Jacqueline. - La Passerelle. - Vaudeville, 1904. Creator: Unknown
Mlle. Marthe Regnier, role de Jacqueline. - La Passerelle. - Vaudeville, 1904. Marthe Regnier, (1880-1967) as Jacqueline in La Passerelle by Francis de Croisset and Frederique Gresac

Men Were Deceivers Ever
A painting of a woman in a bright red dress, performing a curtsy to a baby, who is sat on the grass, in the centre of four tall trees

Costume design for The Fairy Carnation, from Sleeping Beauty, 1921 (colour litho)
STC133681 Costume design for The Fairy Carnation, from Sleeping Beauty, 1921 (colour litho) by Bakst, Leon (1866-1924); Private Collection; The Stapleton Collection

Plate 198. Courtseying, 1885 (collotype on paper)
3950461 Plate 198. Courtseying, 1885 (collotype on paper) by Muybridge, Eadweard (1830-1904); 19.7x38.1 cm; Addison Gallery of American Art, Phillips Academy, Andover, MA

Dancer on Stage, Taking Her Bow, 1891-92 (aquatint & soft-ground etching)
1067446 Dancer on Stage, Taking Her Bow, 1891-92 (aquatint & soft-ground etching) by Degas, Edgar (1834-1917); 13.3x8.3 cm; Dallas Museum of Art, Texas, USA; (add.info.: Danceuse sur scAne)

Valentine of a Curtsying Girl and a Red Heart, c. 1910 (colour litho)
2630015 Valentine of a Curtsying Girl and a Red Heart, c.1910 (colour litho) by American School, (20th century); Private Collection; Photo eGraphicaArtis; American, out of copyright

Plate 199. Courtseying, Fan in Right Hand, 1885 (collotype on paper)
3950462 Plate 199. Courtseying, Fan in Right Hand, 1885 (collotype on paper) by Muybridge, Eadweard (1830-1904); 22.9x34 cm; Addison Gallery of American Art, Phillips Academy, Andover, MA

Drawing Room of Queen Victoria, from London Interiors with their Costumes
931669 Drawing Room of Queen Victoria, from London Interiors with their Costumes and Ceremonies pub. Joseph Mead, London, c.1843 (steel engraving) by Shepherd

Standing Dancer Holding Tutu (charcoal on paper)
BRN161668 Standing Dancer Holding Tutu (charcoal on paper) by Degas, Edgar (1834-1917); The Barnes Foundation, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; eBarnes Foundation; French, out of copyright

Figure of the Dancer, manufactured by Vincennes Factory, modelled by Pierre Blondeau
499529 Figure of the Dancer, manufactured by Vincennes Factory, modelled by Pierre Blondeau, 1748-1752 (unglazed soft-paste biscuit porcelain) by Boucher

A Victorian Christmas card of children in midieval costumes playacting, c
3603961 A Victorian Christmas card of children in midieval costumes playacting, c.1880 (colour litho) by English School, (19th century); Private Collection; Photo eDavid Pearson; English

Juliette Simon-Girard as Clairette in La Fille de Madame Angot (coloured photo)
978035 Juliette Simon-Girard as Clairette in La Fille de Madame Angot (coloured photo) by French Photographer, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Juliette Simon-Girard)

Minuet (colour litho)
3099082 Minuet (colour litho) by Leloir, Maurice (1853-1940); Private Collection; (add.info.: Minuet. Illustration from Le Figaro Illustre, 1903.); © Look and Learn

Emperor William in Sicily, Reception Of Ladies On Board The Hohenzollern Ship (colour litho)
2798764 Emperor William in Sicily, Reception Of Ladies On Board The Hohenzollern Ship (colour litho) by Beltrame, Achille (1871-1945); Private Collection; (add.info.: Emperor William in Sicily)

Plate 200. Courtseying, Kissing Hand and Turning Around, 1885 (collotype on paper)
3950463 Plate 200.Courtseying, Kissing Hand and Turning Around, 1885 (collotype on paper) by Muybridge, Eadweard (1830-1904); 21.1x37.2 cm; Addison Gallery of American Art, Phillips Academy, Andover

Queen Elizabeth In A Rage (oil on canvas, re-lined
3822293 Queen Elizabeth In A Rage (oil on canvas, re-lined by Egg, Augustus Leopold (1816-c.1863); 32.6x47.1 cm; Calderdale Museums Service, West Yorkshire

The Rose (engraving)
982604 The Rose (engraving) by English School, (18th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: The Rose.); Look and Learn / Valerie Jackson Harris Collection; English, out of copyright

The Runaway Match, 1877. Creator: William Holbrook Beard
The Runaway Match, 1877

The Queen is presented with a bouquet of flowers at the U. D. C offices. 10th August 1963
The Queen is presented with a bouquet of flowers at the U.D.C offices. 10th August 1963

Mrs Margaret Thatcher greets Queen Elizabeth II on her arrival at 10 Downing Street to celebrate its 250th anniversary. Picture taken 4th December 1985

Reveille Nightwear Fashions. May 1958 P011125

The Bow, 1880s / 1890s. Creator: Edgar Degas
The Bow, 1880s/1890s

Plate 7, from the Fans of the Period series (N7) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes Brands, 1889

Curtsy To Her King, 1937
Curtsy To Her King, 1936 (1937). Debutant presented to Edward VIII at Royal Garden Party, Buckingham Palace, 1936. From Coronation Souvenir Book 1937, edited by Gordon Beckles

Drawing Room of Queen Victoria. Ceremony of Presentation, c1841. Artist: Henry Melville
Drawing Room of Queen Victoria. Ceremony of Presentation, c1841. From London Interiors with their Costumes & Ceremonies from Drawings made by permission of the Public Offices

My Friend Mr White, c1870-1920. Artist: Jan Van Beers
My Friend Mr White, c1870-1920. Presented with the spring number of pick-me-up

Queen Victoria greets guests in a drawing-room in Buckingham Palace, late 19th century, (1900). Artist: Everard Hopkins
Queen Victoria greets guests in a drawing-room in Buckingham Palace, late 19th century, (1900). A print from The Life and Times of Queen Victoria, by Robert Wilson, Volume IV, Cassell and Company

West London mayors and mayoresses presented to the king, Kensington, 1935, (1936)
West London mayors and mayoresses presented to King George V and Queen Mary, Kensington, Silver Jubilee, 1935. Illustration from George V and Edward VIII, A Royal Souvenir, by FGH Salusbury

Duchess of Montpensier, 1864. Artist: Ary Scheffer
Duchess of Montpensier, 1864

Court presentation, the convolutions of the train
As a society lady is presented at court, the logistical difficulty of curtseying to the Queen while simultaneously trying to manage her huge train, is captured by an ILN artist

Debutantes learning to curtsey, 1929
Debutantes of 1929 learning to curtsey under the guidance of Madame Vacani, in preparation for presentation at court. Date: 1929

Kissing her Majestys hand, learning to curtsey at court
A young woman is tutored in the art of gracefully dropping to a curtsey during her presentation at court at the school of Miss Cowper Coles

Old Mother Hubbard: Dame made a curtsy and dog mad a bow
She went to the tailors to buy him a coat, but when she came back he was riding a goat. The dame made a curtsy, the dog made a bow; the dame said, " your servant" the dog said

Princess Margaret 1953
Miss Isabell Thornicroft presented a bouquet to Princess Margaret, when she opened the Princess Margaret Hospital for Asian & Coloured patients, Salisbury, Rhodesia

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"Curtsy: A Timeless Gesture of Elegance and Respect" Throughout history, the curtsy has been a symbol of grace and reverence. From May Milton's captivating performance in 1895, beautifully captured by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, to the enchanting scene at Queen Charlotte's Ball in 1939, where debutantes curtsied with poise and sophistication. In an era when "Men Were Deceivers Ever, " women embraced the court presentation, mastering the convolutions of their trains as they gracefully lowered themselves into a curtsy. Even on the bustling streets of the 18th century, young ladies found moments to honor tradition by curtsying with utmost decorum. The significance of this gesture was not lost during momentous occasions like Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee in 1897 or when Queen Mary graced Bedford College in London in 1913. These events brought together individuals from all walks of life who paid homage through their elegant curtsies. From Mlle. Marthe Regnier's portrayal as Jacqueline at La Passerelle Vaudeville theater in 1904 to costume designs for The Fairy Carnation from Sleeping Beauty in 1921, artists have immortalized this timeless act through various mediums. Plate 198 showcases a collotype capturing courtseying movements dating back to1885 - a testament to its enduring presence throughout time. Meanwhile, Dancer on Stage takes her bow amidst applause; her final act is marked by a graceful curtsy that leaves audiences captivated even after she exits the stage. The artistry behind each individual's unique interpretation of this gesture only adds depth to its meaning. Whether it be May Milton embodying elegance or debutantes embracing tradition at Queen Charlotte's Ball – every curtsy tells its own story. In our fast-paced world today, let us remember the beauty and respect encapsulated within this simple yet profound movement – for it is a reminder of the grace and dignity that transcends time.