{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O1348297"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1348297/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2016JG0238/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2016JG0238/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"high","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2016JG0238","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":{"_iiif_pres":"https://iiif.vam.ac.uk/collections/O1348297/manifest.json","_alt_iiif_pres":[]}},"record":{"systemNumber":"O1348297","accessionNumber":"S.163-2016","objectType":"Photograph","titles":[{"title":"Ruth St Denis in the Cobras","type":"generic title"}],"summaryDescription":"Photographic postcard of the dancer, Ruth St Denis (1879-1968), in <i>The Cobras,</i> (sometimes Cobra) unidentified photographer, \r\n<i>The Cobras</i> was set in an Indian street. St Denis found insiration for her dance from <i>The Streets of Delhi</i> at Coney Island where she saw a snake charmer. Her father made her original snake-eyes from four hat pins with green stones and St Denis mimed the coiling and coiling of snakes with her arms. On stage a woman in a 'rusty' costume and tuban enters with her hands over her shoulders. 'Now her sleeved arms disentwine themselves from her neck, and the hands come into view. On the index and little fingers of each hand, she is wearing huge emeral rings. They glare as if they were eyes, and indeed they are, the eyes of a pair of cobras.'\nFilm exists of Ruth St Denis performing this dance which was copied by many imitators.\nRuth St Denis was a pioneer among American and European dancers who in the early twentieth century became fascinated by images and descriptions of the dance, music, mythology, philosophy and dress of countries including Greece, Egypt, India, North Africa, Japan and Java all of which influenced the work of  Ruth St. Denis throughout her long career. Initially she was entranced with Egyptian culture and imagery from her late teens, after seeing an image of the goddess Isis on an advertisement for Turkish cigarettes, and with Indian dance having seeing dancers in an East Indian Village at Coney Island in 1904 where, she recalled in her autobiography: 'the fascination of India caught hold of me'. She began avidly reading about the different cultures, and on her long 1906-09 European tour including several visits to London she presented her Indian Temple Dance <i>Radha, Incense </i>an Art Nouveau dance inspired by Delsartean undulating arm movements and <i>Cobras</i>. While in London she regularly visited the Elgin Marbles and the Egyptian room at the British Museum, and the Indian Department of the South Kensington Museum.","physicalDescription":"Photographic postcard of the dancer, Ruth St Denis (1879-1968), in &lt;i&gt;The Cobras,&lt;/i&gt; unidentified photographer, late nineteenth century. The postcard features a profile image of St Denis who is shown wearing a long sleeved top which reaches below her hips, with loose 'harem' style trousers, and a round turban from which wisps of hair escape. Her gaze is downcast and she is leaning slightly backwards with her left arm is outstretched and slightly upraised. Her right arm is crossed over her body with her right hand resting on her left shoulder. On both hands she wears large rings. She has bare feet.","artistMakerPerson":[{"name":{"text":"unknown","id":"A1848"},"association":{"text":"photographer","id":"x43821"},"note":""}],"artistMakerOrganisations":[],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[{"text":"printing ink","id":"AAT187371"},{"text":"card","id":"x30344"}],"techniques":[{"text":"photography","id":"AAT54225"}],"materialsAndTechniques":"Photographic print on card","categories":[{"text":"Entertainment & Leisure","id":"THES48959"},{"text":"Photographs","id":"THES48910"},{"text":"Portraits","id":"THES48906"}],"styles":[],"collectionCode":{"text":"T&P","id":"THES48602"},"images":["2016JG0238"],"imageResolution":"high","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"006","id":"THES356620"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"photographs","id":"AAT46300"}],[{"text":"photographic postcards","id":"AAT192703"}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"Great Britain","id":"x32019"},"association":{"text":"photographed","id":"x30151"},"note":""}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"ca.1906","earliest":"1901-01-01","latest":"1910-12-31"},"association":{"text":"photographed","id":"x30151"},"note":""}],"associatedObjects":[],"creditLine":"Gabrielle Enthoven Collection","dimensions":[{"dimension":"Height","value":"13.6","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"Width","value":"8.6","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""}],"dimensionsNote":"","marksAndInscriptions":[{"content":"'Danced at the/Scala'","inscriber":{"name":{"text":"","id":""},"association":{"text":"","id":""}},"date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"description":"","interpretation":"","language":"","medium":"","method":"","position":"","script":"","translation":"","transliteration":"","type":"","note":"Handwritten annotation in pencil on reverse."}],"objectHistory":"","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"Photographic postcard of the dancer, Ruth St Denis (1879-1968), in <i>The Cobras,</i> unidentified photographer, signed by the dancer, ca.1906","bibliographicReferences":[],"production":"","productionType":{"text":"","id":""},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[{"text":"Denis, Ruth","id":"N14018"}],"associatedPerson":[],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[],"partNumbers":["S.163-2016"],"accessionNumberNum":"163","accessionNumberPrefix":"S","accessionYear":2016,"otherNumbers":[],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE"],"assets":[],"recordModificationDate":"2025-04-16","recordCreationDate":"2016-04-13","availableToBook":true}}