53 DESMOND, Olga. Rhythmographik (Tanznotenschrift) als Grundlage zum Selbststudium des Tanzes. Leipzig: Druck und Verlag von Breitkopf & Härtel, 1919 Small oblong octavo. Original boards, silver crepe paper spine, brown pat- terned paper sides with author’s facsimile signature blind stamped to front, gilt patterned endpapers. Photographic nude portrait frontispiece of Des- mond by C. Oertel, vignette illustrative initials and terminals incorporating nude figures, 8 printed dance notation cards held in rear pocket. Paper light- ly chipped to spine, light rubbing to corners, some mild spotting within, but generally excellent condition for this scarce survival. first edition, limited issue, signed by desmond after the preface, though uncalled for in the limitation, number 72 of 150 cop- ies on handmade paper. Berlin dancer and model Olga Desmond (1890–1964) shot to fame when she took her Schönheitsabende (“Beauty-Evenings”), in which she and her troupe struck classical poses in the nude or wearing only bodypaint, to the Russian stage in St Petersburg. Met with public outrage and accused of “seduction”, Desmond defended her performances to the press: “Call it daring or bold, or however you want . . . but this requires art, and it is my only deity, before whom I bow and for which I am prepared to make all possible sacrifices. I decided to break the centuries-old heavy chains, created by people themselves. When I go out on stage completely na- ked, I am not ashamed, I am not embarrassed, because I come out before the public just as I am, loving all that is beautiful and grace- ful.” Nonetheless the nude show was banned from St Petersburg, and Desmond returned to Berlin where a similar public outcry following a 1909 appearance in the Wintergarten secured her succès de scandale . Cosmetic products bore Olga Desmond’s name, and she took nu- merous nude dance tours around Germany. During the war years she branched out into film and theatrical performances, but afterwards devoted herself primarily to teaching dance, as represented by this handsomely produced publication on dance notation. Hertha Feist (1896–1990) was one of Desmond’s most notable students. This copy has a contemporary ink ownership stamp of a “Margot Niendorf, Dipl.-Gymnastiklebrerin, Burg b. M., Bahnhofstr. 25”, perhaps one of her students, with a photographic post card laid in showing four young female dancers posing in a dance frieze, captioned on the rear in manuscript and dated 1929. The work is very scarce indeed, with OCLC showing 14 copies (none mentioning the deluxe issue, or a signature) in institutions worldwide, and none recorded at auction. £1,750 [124929]
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who prized her satire, wit, and sexual frankness as an antidote to what they perceived as stifling Victorian mores” (Moore, p. 100). Alongside her letter writing Delany is best known for her Hortus Siccus , the “paper mosaic” plant portraits that were her most impor- tant artistic achievement. These botanical works, which were ac- claimed by Horace Walpole as “precision and truth unparalleled”, bear a “triple status as lady’s accomplishment, scientific docu- ment, and fine art”. The work stands as a significant scientific con- tribution, with many of the mosaics believed to mark the first use of names for plant species not yet identified in the prevailing Lin- naean system (Moore, p. 101). Delany was a “close friend” of fellow bluestocking and botanical collector Margaret Cavendish Bentinck, Duchess of Portland (1715–1785), with whom she shared many in- tellectual interests. While staying with Bentinck at her mansion in Buckinghamshire that she began the Hortus Siccus . “There the friends improved the gardens, collected shells and botanical spec- imens, indulged in various arts and crafts, and entertained poets, scientists, theologians, friends, and royalty”, much of which is de- tailed in the present work ( ODNB ). Moore, Lisa L., “ Mrs. Delany and Her Circle (review)”, The Scriblerian and the Kit-Cats , 44:1, 2011, p. 457; Peacock, Molly, The Paper Garden: Mrs. Delaney (Begins Her Life’s Work) at 72 , Bloomsbury, 2010. £2,250 [123482]
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All items are fully described and photographed at peterharrington.co.uk
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