PAVLOVA ANNA: (1881-1931) Russian prima ballerina, remembered for her creation of the role of The Dying Swan. A good vintage signed and inscribed sepia 9.75 x 7 photograph of Pavlova in a full-length pose in costume from The Dying Swan. Signed in dark fountain pen ink to a clear area of the image and dated 1929 in her hand. Signed photographs of Pavlova of this size, and depicting the dancer in her most famous role, are scarce and desirable. Some light silvering to the edges of the image and a couple of heavy creases and one closed tear to the right edge. Possibly mounted to card, although unexamined out of the original dark wooden frame, measuring 12 x 8.5 overall. G The Dying Swan is a solo dance choreographed by Mikhail Fokine to Camille Saint-Saen's Le Cygne from Le Carnaval des animaux as a piece d'occasion for Pavlova, who performed it around 4,000 times. The short ballet, of four minutes, follows the last moments in the life of a swan, and was first presented in St. Petersburg, Russia, in 1905.