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[Detail] Cover of "How to Dance," 1878
Standards
Collection Overview
An American Ballroom Companion: Dance Instruction Manuals, ca. 1490-1920 presents a collection of over two hundred social-dance manuals at the Library of Congress. Along with dance instruction manuals, the collection includes a significant number of antidance manuals, histories, treatises on etiquette, and items from other conceptual categories. Many of the manuals also provide historical information on theatrical dance. Together, these artifacts illuminate the manner in which people have joyfully expressed themselves as they danced for and with one another.
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Special Features
These online exhibits provide context and additional information about this collection.
Historical Eras
These historical era(s) are best represented in the collection although they may not be all-encompassing.
- Colonial Settlement, 1492-1763
- The American Revolution, 1763-1783
- The New Nation, 1780-1815
- Expansion and Reform, 1801-1861
- The Civil War and Reconstruction, 1850-1877
- Development of the Industrial United States, 1876-1915
- Emergence of Modern America, 1890-1930
Related Collections and Exhibits
These collections and exhibits contain thematically-related primary and secondary sources. Also browse the Collection Finder for more related material on the American Memory Web site.
- American Life Histories, 1936-1940
- American Variety Stage
- FSA/OWI Photographs, 1935-1945
- The New Deal Stage: Federal Theatre Project, 1935-1939
Other Resources
Recommended additional sources of information.
Search Tips
Specific guidance for searching this collection.
To find items in this collection, search by Keyword or browse by Subject, Author, or Title.
For search tips specific to the collection, see Searching the Collection.
For help with general search strategies, see Finding Items in American Memory.
