Back to the collection

OPEN CLASSIC CINEMA · 969

Après le bal

Synopsis

After returning from a ball, a woman lets her maid help her undress and prepare for a bath. The brief scene follows the familiar gestures of washing and drying, presented as a staged private moment for the camera. A body stocking supplies the illusion of nudity.

Watch the film ↓
Video edition
Wikimedia Commons
Original language
No spoken dialogue. Intertitles: not identified.
This copy runs
1:12
Subtitles
No subtitle track in this language

No spoken dialogue. Intertitles: not identified. No subtitle track in this language.

Languages and subtitles

No subtitle track in this language

Wikimedia Commons · Georges Méliès · Public domain

Cast

Historical context

Georges Méliès made the film in 1897 with Jeanne d'Alcy as the bather and Jane Brady as her maid. It belongs to an early screen tradition of suggestive bathing scenes, rather than the elaborate magical adventures for which Méliès later became best known.

Sources and availability

General references identify the work and its copy. A reference beside an editorial section is linked to the claims checked in that section.

Work catalogued as public domain in the United States.

The public-domain references concern the original films in the United States. Rights can differ for other countries, editions, restorations, music or translations. Sources are listed on each film page.

Availability checked on September 15, 2026.

Photograph credit

Photographs cropped, resized and optimized as WebP, displayed in monochrome.

Audience rating

Loading ratings…