The Ballerina Ulla Poulsen in the Ballet Chopiniana 1927

Gerda Wegener created this image of the ballerina Ulla Poulsen using oil on canvas sometime in the 1920s or 30s. Wegener was Danish, and much of her work captures the cultural milieu of Copenhagen in the early twentieth century. The ballet was an important cultural institution, and the Royal Danish Ballet was a source of national pride. Note how Wegener deploys the visual codes of classical ballet, such as the idealized femininity of the dancer. Her work embodies the Art Deco style then in vogue in Europe. But it also challenges social norms. Wegener’s sympathetic depictions of queer subjects questioned conventional notions of gender and sexuality. Historians can explore newspapers, periodicals, and other primary documents to better understand the significance of Wegener’s art. The meaning of art is contingent on social and institutional context.