Interview with a Parisian Burlesque Dancer

I was at a masked party one evening in Paris when Marie Antoinette showed up in nothing but her underwear, albeit very pretty underwear indeed. She prowled sumptuously about the room until she found a stage and proceeded to perform the most hypnotising dance with two giant feather fans. Who is that woman behind the feathers? What is…

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Meet the Original “Victoria’s Secret” Beauties of the 1920s

When looking at black and white photographs of women considered glamorous in the 1920s and early 20th century, I often find it difficult to relate to their look. Their make-up is strange and melodramatic, their hairstyles usually unflattering and even macabre; almost like there was a preference for a rather un-natural beauty. But then I came across…

Unlocking the Mystery of Villa Frochot

Villa Frochot is one of the most mysterious buildings in Paris. Closed to the public (or so we thought), rumours and hearsay about the villa vary depending on who you ask. Reliable sources speak of its days as an erotic cabaret in the 1920s, and according to the barman at the end of the street,…

In 1920s Berlin She Was the Pioneer of Punk

Thought punk was an invention of the 70s? Think again. A diminutive ravenette bombshell with animated eye-brows, brash blue eyeshadow, chalk-white skin and red lips was eons ahead of the curve and had laid the foundations of the punk movement w-a-y back in the 1920s already. Dance performance artist, cabaret queen, pantomimist, big & small…

A Forgotten 1920s Magazine Gives a Glimpse of the Paris Jazz Age in the Flesh

Just how folles were the “Années Folles”? In the digital archives of the French National Library, I stumbled upon a few clues, in vibrant colour. “Paris Plaisirs” is a long-forgotten monthly revue that appears to have been published sometime between 1922-1938 (possibly earlier) from 12 Rue Georges-Berger in Paris – and there’s virtually nothing else…

The Forgotten Elephant of the Moulin Rouge Garden Party

It turns out that Nicole Kidman’s fantastical elephant boudoir in Baz Luhrman’s 2001 motion picture, Moulin Rouge, was not a just a Hollywood embellishment added to the iconic cabaret, but in fact, a very real fixture of the Belle Epoque establishment, forgotten in the archives of Parisian history. I found the uncaptioned black and white image, floating around on a Pinterest board…

The Ghostly Paris Nightclubs of the Belle Epoque

The decade is the 1890s, the height of La Belle Epoque in Paris; the ‘beautiful era’. But by night, the City of Light knew a much darker string of establishments to entertain its night owls. We’re outside the Cabaret du Néant, translation: the Cabaret of Nothingness, but originally known as the ‘Cabaret of Death‘ before authorities…

Moulin Rouge for Kids in 1950s Paris

Who knew? The iconic Parisian cabaret venue infamous for bare-breasted women, scandalous liaisons and erotic dancing in the heart of the city’s red light district, has a kiddie matinee! Even more unexpected is that these photographs, simply titled, “Moulin Rouge Night Club -Sunday Children’s Matinee“, were taken sometime in the far more conservative 1950s (and on a Sunday)– gotta love the…