#hixon and connelly

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Egyptian Revival

Yesterday's post was about the full opening of Tutankhamun's tomb, but there have been several times when Egypt has had a strong influence in fashion and art, and here I selected a few things from the 1910s and 1920s that are Egyptian revival, and of course let me know which ones are your favourites of you can add some when reblogging this post.

Here we go.

The beginning of the century marked the birth of modern dance, so we see that part of the Orientalism trend had a deep Egyptian influence from Les Ballets Russes to the Denishawn school: strong lines, profile poses, spectacular costumes, all taken from the art and sculpture of the ancient Egypt.

Here a little video of the Denishawn dancers along Ted Shawn (not the dance of the picture above), with no music because this is FROM 1913:

Also, this influence is clearly seen in the art deco masterpiece that is the dance scene from Metropolis (1927):

Denishawn students (Lillian Powell, Charlotte Brendel, Grace McCrea, Irene Pryor, Claire Niles) in an Egyptian dance created as part of a vaudeville act by Ted Shawn (not related to the Denishawn Egyptian Ballet), Hixon-Connelly, 1918, The New York City Public Library.

Vaslav Nijinsky and Serafima Astafieva in "Cleopatre", probably by Ernst Sandau, 1912, National Portrait Gallery, London.

Desiree Lubovska as Cleopatra, ca. 1915.

Ida Rubinstein with costume designed by Erté, 1920s.

Dancers from the Folies Bergère with costumes designed by Erté, Paris, 1924.

Dance of the Priest of Ra, from Dances of the Ages, Denishawn dancers, 1913.

Dance Scene, from Metropolis, Fritz Lang, 1927.

Fashion and accessories were deeply inspired by Egypt in the 1920s, thanks to the simple shapes of the garments, the use of striking accessories and jewelry, and the use of embellishments and embroidery to elevate the simple dresses: from appliqués to bead embroidery, to burnt velvet and translucent layers. And of course, let's not forget the use of colour that gives the feel of ancient Egyptian art: gold, sand, teal, royal blue, and burnt orange.

Orange burnout velvet dress, 1920s, available in Antique Graces.

Egyptian revival brooch, Max Neiger, 1920s, sold at auction.

Egyptian revival silk dress with appliqués, 1920s, Stephens College Costume Museum.

"Cleopatre" grande robe du soir by Jean Patou, Les Modes, september 1921 (click that link! You can read the whole magazine!).

Evening dress, Thurn, 1923-26, Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Pair of leather gloves with silk embroidery, ca. 1925, LACMA.

Beaded Egyptian revival dress, 1920s.

Egyptian revival silver gild and enamel charms necklace, 1920s, on sale on etsy.

Of course, let's not forget the graphic arts. illustration was a key for advertising and communication when colour photos were not available. Here a small selection of my favourites:

"Cleopatra", J.C. Leyendecker, for the cover of the Evening Standard, August 1923.

Ad for Egyptian Deities cigarettes, 1920s-30s.

Egyptian Goddess, ca. 1929, George Barbier.

Ramses perfume ad, 1923.

Cover for Harper's Bazaar, February 1927, Erté.

Music sheet cover for the Tutankhamen Shimmy, 1923.

And finally an extra: a Tutankhamen shimmy recorded in 1926:

[maelstormblues]

Hixon & Connelly: portrait of Ernestine Meyer, 1920.

[maurizart]

•.¸¸.❥ Hixon & Connelly - Miss Evelyn Nesbit, 1925-1930

[chamberlainlockett]

Orval Hixon

-From Richmond, MO -Active from 1915-1930

-He originally wanted to be a painter, but his colorblindness led him to black and white photography

-Worked as a newspaper photographer in his teens and twenties

-Became business partners with James Hargis Connelly, who was well connected to the theater world

-Hixon specialized in vaudeville photography, and portraits of entertainers

“Hixon experimented with portraits, dissolving the emulsion in the backgrounds of photographs with acetone, abrading the negatives to form areas of light, using paints and graphite pencils to sketch in patterns surrounding the subject. He specialized in romantic visions of lyrical femininity and mysterious images of gothic intensity.” (http://broadway.cas.sc.edu/content/orval-hixon)