title: Gavarni at the casino: reflections of class and gender in the visual culture of 1848.
abstract: Drawing on cultural history and opposing the idea that British visual culture in 1848 has nothing interesting to say about class, politics, and revolution, this article examines a depiction of the London dance-hall Laurent's Casino by Guillaume-Sulpice Chevalier, better known as Paul Gavarni, made to accompany as essay by Albert Smith for the collaborative work "Gavarni in London" (1849). The image appeared against the backdrop of revolutions abroad, and just weeks after rioting in Trafalgar Square. Reconstructing the location of the casino, the history of the venue, the entertainments enjoyed there, and description of its patrons - the gent and his female counterpart - reveals the dynamic performance of class enacted there, and contemporary reactions to that performance.
authors.affiliation: Walters Art Museum, Baltimore.
authors.forename: Jo
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Briggs
mesh_terms: D003466:Cultural Characteristics / Q000266:history; D005783:Gender Identity; D049672:History, 19th Century; D007899:Leisure Activities / Q000191:economics / Q000523:psychology; D008131:London / Q000208:ethnology; D012922:Social Change / Q000266:history; D012923:Social Class / Q000266:history; D012924:Social Conditions / Q000266:history; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors / Q000266:history; D006113:United Kingdom / Q000208:ethnology