A pencil drawing showing the ballet dancer Marie Taglioni as the title character in the ballet of La Sylphide. She is shown three-quartr-length, facing left, standing with one hand held to her chest. She is shown dressed in theatrical ballet costume with wings on her back. Inscribed below: Mlle Taglioni as La Sylphide. PV.f. 1833.

Princess Victoria saw La Sylphide at the King's Theatre twice in June 1833 after seeing it performed at Covent Garden the previous year. In her journal entry of 22 June 1833, Princess Victoria records seeing La Sylphide and describes how Taglioni "danced beautifully! & looked very pretty".

La Sylphide, which premiered in Paris is 1832, was choreographed by Marie and Paul Taglioni's father, Filippo Taglioni, to the music of Jean-Madeliene Schnietzhoeffer, with libretto by Adolphe Nourrit and loosely based on a story by Charles Nodier. It was designed by Filippo to showcase his daughter's talent at dancing and is credited with being the first ballet where dancing en pointe had an aesthetic rationale rather than being a clumsy acrobatic stunt.

Marie Taglioni was one of the most celebrated romantic ballet dancers of the nineteenth century. She was known for her light, graceful style of dancing as well as her considerable talent for dancing en pointe. Princess Victoria was a big admirer of Taglioni, and loved to see her perform. After watching one of Taglioni's many performances in La Sylphide, Princess Victoria described in her journal how "when she bounds and skips along the stage it is quite beautiful. Quite like a fawn. And she has grace in every action".