Tableau vivant (plural:
tableaux vivants) means "living picture". The term, borrowed from the
French language, describes a group of suitably costumed actors or artist's models, carefully posed and often
theatrically lit. Throughout the duration of the display, the people shown do not speak or move. The approach thus marries the art forms of the
stage with those of
painting or
photography, and as such it has been of interest to modern photographers. The most recent heyday of the tableau vivant was the 19th century, with virtually nude tableaux vivants or
poses plastiques providing a form of
erotic entertainment.