"A Dream from the Past"—such was the sign, written in bold letters so it was visible through the thick clouds covering the stage, which appeared at the end of the prologue to the ballet Pharaoh's Daughter, at its premiere performance in 1862. And this was followed by a grandiose spectacle, the like of which had never been seen by imperial ballet. Here there was something for all tastes. A desert storm, a lion-hunt, various chases, several suicide attempts, a fantastic celebration of all the world's rivers and also of nereids and nymphs at the bottom of the majestic Nile. The cast included an English aristocrat traveler, his servant, a Sancho Panza-like character, a Nubian King; Armenian merchants who, after smoking opium, had found themselves in Ancient Egypt... And in the heavens there appeared Egyptian gods, under the command of Osiris and Isis. Pharaoh's Daughter was immensely popular with the public. To obtain a box for a performance of this ballet, which started at 7:30 in the evening and ended just before midnight, was considered a great feat. Pharaoh's Daughter had a long and happy performance history. First produced by Marius Petipa in 1862, at Petersburg's Bolshoi Theatre, it was given several revivals. It was adored by Petersburg ballerinas, especially Mathilda Kshessinska who regarded the ballet as her "personal property" and shone in it not only by virtue of her technique, but also thanks to her Romanov Faberge diamonds. In Pharaoh's Daughter, Kshessinska felt herself to be the "queen of the ball".