Miss La La at the Cirque Fernando

Image credit: The Henry Barber Trust, The Barber Institute of Fine Arts, University of Birmingham

How you can use this image

 

This image is available to be shared and re-used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives licence (CC BY-NC-ND).

You can reproduce this image for non-commercial purposes and you are not able to change or modify it in any way.

Wherever you reproduce the image you must attribute the original creators (acknowledge the original artist(s) and the person/organisation that took the photograph of the work) and any other rights holders.

Review our guidance pages which explain how you can reuse images, how to credit an image and how to find more images in the public domain or with a Creative Commons licence available.

Download

Notes

Add or edit a note on this artwork that only you can see. You can find notes again by going to the ‘Notes’ section of your account.

In 1879 Degas made this preparatory drawing of Miss La La, an acrobat of mixed European and African parentage. Renowned for her agility, she performed throughout Europe. This daring perspective shows La La suspended from the rafters of the circus by a rope connected to a bit between her teeth. She was a popular act at the Cirque Fernando which was close to Degas’s studio in Montmartre, Paris. In addition to her appearances in Paris she toured England, performing in London and at the Gaiety Theatre, Manchester. Rumours circulated that La La was an African princess sold into slavery so as to exoticise her and increase ticket sales. Her real name may have been Olga Kaira, born in Stettin, Germany (now Poland). Degas himself was of mixed race as he had a Creole mother, and is known to have visited his American relatives in New Orleans in 1872.

The Barber Institute of Fine Arts

Birmingham

Title

Miss La La at the Cirque Fernando

Date

1879

Medium

black chalk & pastel on paper

Measurements

H 47 x W 32 cm

Accession number

36.7

Acquisition method

purchased, 1936

Work type

Drawing

Tags

See a tag that’s incorrect or offensive? Challenge it and notify Art UK.

Help improve Art UK. Tag artworks and verify existing tags by joining the Tagger community.

The Barber Institute of Fine Arts

University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, West Midlands B15 2TS England

This venue is open to the public. Not all artworks are on display. If you want to see a particular artwork, please contact the venue.
View venue