Louis Legrand

The Club for Ladies Blog has an entry featuring some works of the French artist Louis Legrand who did a number of works about the cancan.  In addition to the above picture, it includes a number of other works showing dancers limbering up in preparation for the dance.

Some of the commentary may not be quite on the money, but I'll leave that to those more knowledgeable than I.  Nonetheless, the page is interesting, and the Legrand pictures give a view of the way it was.  They will remind you of the practice scenes in French Cancan.

The Club for Ladies:

http://theclubforladies.com/2012/12/04/exercise-le-chahut-the-art-of-poise-and-balance/

For more about Legrand:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Legrand

http://www.annalies.com/gallery/louis_legrand/louis_legrand.html