Tag: Anna Pavlova

Book Review: ‘The Dancer and the Devil: Stalin, Pavlova, and the Road to the Great Pandemic’

Immense cruelty was the order of the day for much of the 20th century, especially in parts of Europe and the East through fascism and communism. Among the many dictators known throughout that bloody century, none are more notable, nor bloody, than Joseph Stalin and Mao Zedong. Photographic postcard of Anna Pavlova, prima ballerina of…


Reviving ‘The Dying Swan,’ Ballerina Anna Pavlova’s Costume

While under lockdown, staff at the Museum of London decided to edit a series of videos documenting the restoration of a rarely displayed item in the museum’s fashion and textile archive: legendary ballerina Anna Pavlova’s swan costume. Pavlova was believed to have worn the costume around 1910 for a performance of “The Dying Swan.”  The stunning…