Costumes For *l'africaine*, 10 Gouaches By Henri Gray, 1899–1900

*L'Africaine* is a five-act opera by Giacomo Meyerbeer with a libretto by Eugène Scribe. The premiere took place in 1865 at the Paris Opera. These gouaches were created for the ballet incorporated into Act IV of the opera (Indian and religious dances on the exotic island). These costumes were designed by Henri Gray for a performance in 1899 or 1900. As evidence, the name “Legall” appears on one of the gouaches (first warrior)—this is the name of Marie Legall, who performed this role at that time.
Unlike the Opera's staff artists, Henry Gray often worked as a "guest designer," leveraging the reputation he had established with major theaters and revues of the era. His designs were then sent to the costume department at the Opéra Garnier workshops to be custom-made.
All the gouaches are signed, and descriptions of the costumes are annotated on the back of each one.
The collection comes from the archives of the Isola Brothers.