The Art of Dancing in 1910 and Narratives of Time and Space
Jens O. Meiert, August 28, 2007 / September 7, 2011.
This entry is filed under Design.
Since it’s always interesting to see how people visualize and convey information, here are some photos I took from a dance book of about 1910, “Atlas zur Grammatik der Tanzkunst und Tanzschreibekunst oder Choreographie”—“Grammar of the Art of Dancing”—by Friedrich Albert Zorn. Zorn was a successful German dancer, choreographer, and dance theorist who appears to have lived from 1820 to 1905.
Figure: Atlas zur Grammatik der Tanzkunst, cover sheet.
Although the photographs are of poor quality, you should not only be able to spot several interesting details (typography, with slips) but rather to recognize what Edward Tufte described as “small multiples” and “narratives of time and space.” The dance notation—which as far as I know is still in use?—invites you to compare and judge changes. There certainly are more things to note (and yet a bit to criticize) from an information design point of view, but take a look for yourself.
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