Anna Pavlovna Pavlova was a Russian prima ballerina of the late 19th and the early 20th centuries. She was a principal artist of the Imperial Russian Ballet and the Ballets Russes of Sergei Diaghilev. Pavlova is most recognized for her creation of the role of The Dying Swan and, with her own company, became the first ballerina to tour around the world, including performances in South America, India, Mexico and Australia.
Students of the Imperial Ballet School, St. Petersburg, in Marius Petipa's Un conte de fées. A ten-year-old A Pavlova (kneeling on left, holding birdcage) appeared in her first ever ballet performance. 1891.
Caricature of Pavlova as Nikiya in La Bayadère by the brothers Nikolai Legat and Sergei Legat for their book The Russian Ballet In Caricatures. 1903
Anna Pavlova in the Fokine/Saint-Saëns The Dying Swan, Saint Petersburg, 1905
The Ballets Russes was an itinerant ballet company begun in Paris that performed between 1909 and 1929 throughout Europe and on tours to North and South America. The company never performed in Russia, where the Revolution disrupted society. After its initial Paris season, the company had no formal ties there.
Sergei Diaghilev, founder of the Ballets Russes
Ballet Russes by August Macke, 1912
Image: Pavillion d'Armide by A. Benois 01