Olga Desmond - Rhythmographik - 1919

Olga Desmond — "Rhythmographik (Dance Notation)" — Leipzig, Breitkopf & Härtel, 1919 — Numbered copy no. 51/150, signed by the author, with 8 loose plates

An exceptionally rare and signed copy of one of the most unusual publications in the early-modern history of dance.

Olga Desmond (1890–1964) was one of the most controversial and fascinating figures in pre-World War I Berlin. With her Schönheitsabende — performances in which she and her company posed in almost revealing, or no clothing, classical poses — she caused a public scandal and defended her art as an act of liberation. Her fame reached as far as Saint Petersburg, where her performances led to lawsuits and headlines across Europe.

In 1919 she published this unique little work: a completely original system of dance notation, translating movements into graphical symbols — an early and original answer to the question of how dance can be captured and transmitted. The book contains illustrations of dancing women and was published by the prestigious Breitkopf & Härtel in Leipzig.

This copy belongs to the luxury edition of only 150 numbered copies on handmade paper — this is no. 51 — and bears Olga Desmond’s own signature. The 8 loose plates are fully present, which is not the case with most copies.
A comparable signed copy (no. 72/150) is currently offered by the London antiquarian bookseller Peter Harrington for £1,750.

For collectors of early modern dance, avant-garde printing, or women’s history: this is a document of the highest rarity.