Tchaikovsky’s beloved ballet Swan Lake was first performed by the Imperial Bolshoi Ballet in Moscow in 1877. It has been among the most important works presented by the Finnish National Opera since 1922, when it was the first ballet to be performed there. A production that ran from 1976 to 1981 was the last presented in the old theater; its small stage was really too cramped for such productions. The ballet premiered in the opening week of the new theater in 1993, however, and has continued to be a mainstay of its program. In this poster, probably for the 1993 production, the unknown designer suggests the timeless quality of this ballet, abstracting its essential elements (the leg and pointed toe of a dancer attached to a swan’s wing) in an austere but compelling black-and-white composition.