Central Library

Sammy Baird was a local Kansas City dance instructor and vaudeville performer. This picture captures a profile view of Baird in a dramatic dancer's pose, effortlessly balanced on a single pointed toe with the other leg bent and the knee and lifted. She repeats the pose with her arms, holding her left arm raised in the...

Orval Hixon photographed this unidentified Fanchon & Marco dancer in such a way that she simultaneously exudes both strengthen and vulnerability all in a 3/4 length pose. Her confident gaze to the viewer's left is belied by her left hand clutching a shibori-lined velvet drape to her chest. Her left hand rests on her le...

The addition of a whimsical pointed crown and ruffled white babydoll costume lends a playful lighthearted mood to this portrait of an unknown subject. She stands in ballerina slippers with her left foot on pointe and her right leg extended at a 90 degree angle. Her left hand delicately caresses the ruffles of her costu...

This portrait features Cleveland Bronner as a full length solitary figure with arms extended in the act of worshipful reverence. Bronner appears mostly nude with the exception that he wears a full feather headdress, long plumed boa, sparkling beaded arm and leg bands, and sandals. He takes a confident step forward, wi...

This side table's smooth upper surface caps a wealth of intricacy below. Starting with the band that foots the tabletop, shields, vases plush with foliage, and scrolling elements carved in high relief span the half-moon shape and give way to two supporting legs. The legs' alternate smooth, slender segments with globes...

This is a 19th century antique Chinese horseshoe-style chair made likely from elmwood. The chair was fabricated using pegs and specially carved joinery that reinforces the structure of the chair. The base has A-shaped legs on each side that are conjoined with a footrest. The seat is rectangular with a depression that s...

This is a 19th century antique Chinese horseshoe-style chair made likely from elmwood. The chair was fabricated using pegs and specially carved joinery that reinforces the structure of the chair. The base has A-shaped legs on each side that are conjoined with a footrest. The seat is rectangular with a depression that s...

Looming at seven and a half feet tall, this solid mahogany grandfather clock balances the simple and ornate into a concise sophisticated design. The clock has a rectangular bonnet, body, and base with complementary elements to offset the weight. Four narrow columns extend the space between the bonnet and base and reinf...

This globe is simple in its structural elements but detailed in its cartographic ones. It is tilted on its original axis and held in a full swing arm for maneuverability that allows one to easily view the details across each part of the globe. The color scheme and printed embellishments give it antique, distinguished l...

Australian dancer and swimmer Annette Kellerman (1887-1975) gained international fame and a long-lasting place in American vaudeville scene as the "Siren of the Sea." Kellerman had to wear leg braces as a child, but as an adult she was known as both a health advocate and a sex symbol. While Kellerman's dancing was seco...