Nouveau Cirque / Le Cake-Walk. 1903.

Artist: MAURICE MAHUT (1879-1929)
Size: 50 5/8 x 36 3/4 in./128.6 x 93.2 cm
Condition: B+/ Slight tears at folds.
Printer: Imp. Chaix, Paris
Reference: Ref: Jazz, p. 37
Key Words: Art Nouveau; Black Images; Dance; Children

Nouveau Cirque / Le Cake-Walk. 1903.
The cakewalk, originally intended to parody the high-class pretensions of slave owners, developed into a dance practice of its own right as the "cakewalk dance craze" swept America from 1890 to 1910. Massive contests were held in which black couples danced vigorous high-step moves to upbeat music—a foreshadowing of 1920s jazz dancing. Soon, white couples were eager to join in, and then the craze landed in Paris with the arrival of "cakewalk champions" Mr. and Mrs. Elks. They performed at the Nouveau Cirque in a review called "Les Joyeux Nègres" (The Joyous Negroes) alongside other performers, including the two children depicted here, Rudy and Fred Walker. It was a huge hit: French filmmaker Louis Lumière produced a short film on the aforementioned dancers, all of whom went on to spread the cakewalk craze in Paris and other European cities.