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The Awakening of Flora

Unknown photographer

A photograph of Anna Pavlova as Flora and Michel Fokine as Apollo in Petipa's ballet The Awakening of Flora at the Mariinsky Theatre.

Pavlova appears as Flora alongside Michel Fokine as Apollo, documenting her years at the Mariinsky Theatre.

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Black-and-white photograph of two ballet dancers in costume posed on a studio backdrop. On the left, a woman in a tutu with floral trim and flowers in her hair looks toward a man on the right, who wears a dark draped tunic and cape, extending one arm outward.
Anna Pavlova as Flora and Michel Fokine as Apollo in The Awakening of Flora, Mariinsky Theatre.

About this source

What it is

This black-and-white photograph, by an unknown photographer, shows Anna Pavlova in costume as Flora and Michel Fokine as Apollo in Marius Petipa's ballet The Awakening of Flora, performed at the Mariinsky Theatre.

Why it matters

The photograph links Pavlova to two major figures of Russian ballet: Marius Petipa, who choreographed the work, and Michel Fokine, her fellow dancer who later became an influential choreographer himself. It documents her years performing at the Mariinsky before her international career.

Look closer

  • What do the costumes and poses suggest about the roles of Flora and Apollo in the story?
  • Why might theatres of this period have wanted photographs of their star dancers in costume?
  • What can't a still photograph tell you about how this scene actually looked in performance?

This photograph is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Anna Pavlova on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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Black and white still from the 1916 film The Dumb Girl of Portici. A woman in a dark draped gown stands in the foreground on a tiled floor, with her arms raised over her head. Behind her, a crowd of people in period costume gathers on steps before a classical painted mural with columns, and a woman in a light robe holds a tray of fruit above her head.Documentary

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The Dumb Girl of Portici

Lois Weber and Phillips Smalley · 1916

Oval painting of a woman with dark hair, wearing a white jeweled headpiece and white feathered costume with a dark blue gem at the bodice, against a dark brown background. Painted in loose, visible brushstrokes.Painting

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Anna Pavlova as 'The Dying Swan'

John Lavery · 1911

Sepia group photograph of about twenty young girls in costume posed against a painted backdrop with foliage. A cherub-like figure with wings stands at the top center. Some girls play violin and flute, one holds a birdcage, and two lie in the front, one reclining on the ground.Photograph

Primary source

Fairy Tale - Students of the Imperial Ballet School, 1891

Unknown photographer of the Imperial Mariinsky Theatre · 1891

Painting of a ballerina in a white tutu standing on one pointed foot on a stone ledge, hands pressed together near her chest, head tilted back, eyes closed, against a dark, misty woodland background.Painting

Primary source

Anna Pavlova as Giselle

Alfred Eberling · 1906

Oval oil painting of a woman with dark hair wearing a jeweled white headdress and a white costume with feathery sleeves, against a dark brown background. Loose, visible brushstrokes; signature at lower right.Painting

Primary source

Anna Pavlova

John Lavery · 1911

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