The dance in drawings: E. W. Clay and social dancing in antebellum Philadelphia
Abstract
This essay treats the works of Edward W. Clay (1799-1857), citizen of Philadelphia, who created prints and caricatures of life in the United States. His artistic output reveals his interests, observations, and prejudices, as well as those of the young nation’s early residents. Focusing on three of Clay’s dance-themed works, this essay asks what these drawings reveal about the anxieties and aspirations early U.S. residents experienced as they grappled with the cultural and social unfolding of the nation. Laban Movement Analysis is utilized as the methodology for understanding the selected artworks, demonstrating the advantages and shortcomings of this system for understanding the selected artworks.
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