Egg Dancing headlined parties throughout the Victorian Era. Documented as early as the 1400s, it was a traditional spring event in which people cavorted between the ancient symbols of rebirth, attempting to leave no cracks. Always the life of the party, egg dancers honed their skills in taverns, theaters, public squares – nearly anywhere eggs were present.
And let’s not forget those who danced between eggshells on metaphorical political stages worldwide.
Prizes for Egg Dancing winners ran the gamut from matrimony to applause and free drinks, to political prowess.
Following are a Few Crackling Egg Dancing Facts to hurl around at your Easter Egg hunt.
Some Dancers Liked To Shake Things Up
While earliest Egg Dancing was fragile enough, practitioners managed to find new challenges to up the ante. It’s not difficult to imagine this might have evolved into a drinking game in local pubs across England.
Some show-offs attempted Egg Dancing on one foot and blindfolded.
Joseph Strutt writes in his 1801 publication, The Sports and Pastimes of the People of England that he saw one-legged and blindfolded Egg Dancing in Sadler’s Wells.
“A number of eggs, I do not precisely recollect how many, but I believe about twelve or fourteen, were placed at certain distances marked upon the stage; the dancer, taking his stand, was blind-folded, and a hornpipe being played in the orchestra, he went through all the paces and figures of the dance, passing backwards and forwards between the eggs without touching them. (Sports and Pastimes)
The National Museum of Zurich writes that an additional challenge of body control, involved balancing a bottle or glass on the head while Egg Dancing.
Adam Green writes for the Public Domain Review that a seated variation of Egg Dancing was the sit-down version using only one’s feet. It involved tipping an egg out of a bowl then flipping the bowl on top of the egg. All of this had to be accomplished within the boundaries of a circle drawn on the floor.
This particular version of Egg Dancing was often depicted in paintings “associated with peasant villages of the 16th and 17th century.” (Adam Green)
Watch Where You Step Or You Could End Up Married
An 1895 issue of American Magazine described one of the earliest references to Egg Dancing that occurred on Easter Monday in 1498. It involved the marriage of Margaret of Austria and Philibert of Savoy.
According to the Victorian-Era article, since Egg Dancing could still be seen in rural Switzerland readers should know the famous event to understand the custom.
Early in the sixteenth century Marguerite of Austria spent Easter at the Castle of Brou, on the western slope of the Alps. Philibert the Duke of Savoy, went to pay his respects to her.
It was Easter Monday and all were merry. Easter games were played and the dancing on the green was joined in by all.
“Then the great egg dance, the special dance of the season, began. A hundred eggs were scattered over a level space covered with sand, and a young couple, taking hands, began the dance. If they finished without breaking an egg they were betrothed, and not even an obdurate parent could oppose the marriage.
After three couples had failed, midst the laughter and shouts of derision of the on-lookers, Philibert of Savoy, bending on his knee before Marguerite, begged her consent to try the dance with him.
The admiring crowd of retainers shouted in approval, “Savoy and Austria!” When the dance was ended and no eggs were broken the enthusiasm was unbounded.” (American Magazine)
Sadly, Philibert did not survive long to enjoy his marriage. In 1511, Marguerite erected the church of Notre Dame de Brou in his honor.
Politicians Danced Between Eggs As Well
You’ve heard the expression “walking on eggshells” or “walking on eggs.” Many say it stems from the observation of hens walking carefully amongst their eggs.
Grammarphobia writes:
“In its first incarnation, the expression involved the whole egg, not just the shell. The original, 18th-century version was to ‘tread on eggs’ which the Oxford English Dictionary defines as “to walk warily, as on delicate ground.” (Grammarphobia)
While the exact dates of the expression are unknown, the meaning is clear to anyone who has navigated a tricky situation, including those involving politics.
Through the 1800s, the saying took form in political cartoons.
“Democracy”-April 9, 1894 by Joseph Ferdinand Keppler (Above)
This timeless illustration is an important reminder that Egg Dancing for Democracy is as important today as it was in 1894.
It depicts a woman labeled “Democracy” wearing a blindfold labeled Stupidity. Samuel J. Randall pushes her toward the Presidential Chair. She’s moving through several eggs on the ground. They’re labeled “Honest Naval Appropriation, Civil Service Reform, Honest River – Harbor Appropriation, Economy, Anti-Silver Coinage, National Banking System, Tariff Reform, [and] Prompt Legislation.”
Two of the eggs are broken. A group of men laughing, in the background are John Logan, John Sherman, and William D. Kelley. The Austrian born American cartoonist, Joseph Ferdinand Keppler (1838-1894) profoundly influenced satirical cartooning in America. (Library of Congress)
The Journalistic Egg Dance- (c, 1840) by Andreas Geiger (Above)
This timeless cartoon reminds us nearly a century later of the fragility of Freedom of the Press. It’s a caricature of censorship of the press prior to the 1848 Austrian revolution.
“During the Restoration after the defeat of Napoleon in 1815, the European powers, led by Austrian Chancellor Clemens von Metternich (1773-1859), restricted the freedom of speech and expression to contain any kind of critical, nationalist or anti-authoritarian movement.” (German National Library)
“The Political Egg-Dance”-by John Tenniel, for Punch June 29, 1867 (Above)
Britain was undergoing a period of significant social and economic change in the mid-19th century. As in much of the western world, industrialization lead to rapid urbanization resulting in a burgeoning working-class population.
“However, despite these changes, the British political system remained largely unchanged, with voting rights restricted to a small segment of the population. Calls for electoral reform grew louder, as reformers argued for a more representative and inclusive system that reflected the changing demographics of the country.” (Earnshaw, London)
Bismarck Egg Dance, 1863, Frankfurter Latern
Political Egg Dance, originally appeared in 1863 in the Frankfurter Latern. It depicts Otto von Bismarck as a ballerina dancing over eggs. They are labeled Law, Constitution, Election, Reform, and Press Regulation.
Egg Dance, by Arpad Schmidhammer, July 1889
This cartoon by Arpad Schmidhammer depicts the First Hague Peace Conference, an international event on the invitation of Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands to Czar Nicholas II of Russian. It offers another jarring reminder that history repeats itself. F It was published in the German magazine Jugend, on July 29, 1899. (1st Art Gallery)
Find More Easter fun with eggs, see how 19th Century Easter Festivities Got Rowdy and Victorian Easter Cards revealed Twisted Humor.
Mark Twain was keenly aware of this disconnect with the Gilded Age in general and events like the Vanderbilt Ball.
Events like the opulent Easter Parades of the time sparked satire. Social Political Cartoonists including Art Young endlessly mocked rampant corruption of the times.
Muckrakers including Nellie Bly wrote first-person accounts the New York World, from the squalid streets of New York City.
Racing Nellie Bly
Victorian Secrets From Footnotes In History
Know The Past To Invent The Future
