Zprávy památkové péče 2016, 76(1):49-56

Tableaux vivants, carousel carnivals, theater - photographs of nobility in costumes and disguises

Petra Medříková

The article deals with one aspect of the leisure activities of nobility in the 19th century - costume disguises and how they were documented in photographs from the last third of the 19th century. There are large amounts of photos in costumes in the mobiliary of castles under the management of the NPÚ, but identifying them is difficult without labels and proper context - are they pictures in carnival costumes, from a theater play, or tableaux vivants?
The article successively points out different types of costume amusements documented in photographs. First and foremost, these are tableaux vivants, put together either to educate or for entertainment at social evenings. The basis for the tableaux were most often various art works from the past, particularly from painting and literature.
Another popular type of performance was the carousel - a costume equestrian show integrating various historical topics. The article highlights in particular the trio of Viennese Carousels from 1867, 1881 and 1894, from which a number of photos have been preserved - in the first case from the photo studio of Ludwig Angerer, the latter two years from the Josef Löwy studio. The photographs depict individual participants in fancy costumes, in the studio or on horseback, or even individual wagons and equipage, or group scenes. The proceeds from these costly public performances were almost always donated to charity.
Another opportunity to dress up in costume were theater plays, either private or public. Private theaters are documented on the example of the Auersperg noble family, whose furniture preserved printed programs for various theater plays in addition to photos. One of the most important public performances was "Die Götterdämmerung in Wien", whose authors were Princess Pauline Metternich and Baron Bourgoing, performed in Vienna in 1886.
In addition to these specific types of entertainment, costumes were often used for balls and carnivals as well, where one could unleash the imagination and select, in addition to historical costumes, those of various gods and goddesses, the seasons, fairy-tale motifs, or personifications of various characteristics or activities.
The photographs from all these events were not taken on site, of course, but later, in the studios of renowned photographers, where the actors again donned their costumes and repeated the appropriate pose.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the penchant for costume festivities slowly faded away and definitively ended with the First World War. After the end of the war, the map of Europe was redrawn, the Habsburg monarchy ceased to exist, and the aristocracy was left to seek out its identity in the new world. If costume parties were held in their castles, they were merely private events, when a bit of imagination was sufficient to revive a certain role without the need to spend larger sums of money. The photographs from these events were no longer outsourced to professional photographers; photos were taken by some of the participants, later to become part of private family albums.

Keywords: historical photos; costumes; nobility; theatre; tableaux vivants; 19th century

Published: March 1, 2016  Show citation