La Goulue
Poster
1894 (printed)
1894 (printed)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
La Goulue was the most outrageous dancer of her day, synonymous with the Moulin Rouge nightclub. La Goulue ('The Glutton') earned her name from her habit of drinking glasses dry in bars. Despite her poor, laundress background, she spent her evenings dancing amongst the fashionable and worked her way up the Parisian social ladder. She was eventually engaged to dance the quadrille at the Moulin Rouge, where she high-stepped the cancan and became the queen of Montmartre.
Her star fell quickly, however, when she left the Moulin Rouge, in 1895, becoming a destitute alcoholic after a touring show she invested in was unsuccessful and frittered away her fortune.
This poster is from the original Shaftesbury Theatre. It opened in 1888 and was later destroyed by bombing in 1941; there is now a fire station in its place. The current Shaftesbury Theatre, further down the road in Holborn, was renamed in 1963, having previously been The New Prince's Theatre.
Her star fell quickly, however, when she left the Moulin Rouge, in 1895, becoming a destitute alcoholic after a touring show she invested in was unsuccessful and frittered away her fortune.
This poster is from the original Shaftesbury Theatre. It opened in 1888 and was later destroyed by bombing in 1941; there is now a fire station in its place. The current Shaftesbury Theatre, further down the road in Holborn, was renamed in 1963, having previously been The New Prince's Theatre.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | La Goulue (assigned by artist) |
| Materials and techniques | Printed paper |
| Brief description | Poster advertising La Goulue, Shaftesbury Theatre. Pictorial |
| Physical description | Pictorial poster on a white background, with illustration of 'La Goulue' in the centre, doing the 'cancan' dance, with one leg vertically upwards, with flowing, frilly white dress around her. 'La Goulue' is written at the top in Red, with the venue, 'SHAFTESBURY THEATRE', in black at the bottom. |
| Production type | Mass produced |
| Marks and inscriptions |
|
| Gallery label | Poster for La Goulue
1894
La Goulue (The Glutton) was a famous French can-can, or cahut, dancer. Born Louise Weber in 1866, she died in poverty in 1927. Her outrageous personality had attracted attention as she high kicked at the Moulin Rouge from its opening in 1889, and her image was popularised in posters and prints by Henri Toulouse-Lautrec. [55 words]
Shaftesbury Theatre, London
Colour lithograph
Museum no. S.4593-1995 |
| Subject depicted | |
| Summary | La Goulue was the most outrageous dancer of her day, synonymous with the Moulin Rouge nightclub. La Goulue ('The Glutton') earned her name from her habit of drinking glasses dry in bars. Despite her poor, laundress background, she spent her evenings dancing amongst the fashionable and worked her way up the Parisian social ladder. She was eventually engaged to dance the quadrille at the Moulin Rouge, where she high-stepped the cancan and became the queen of Montmartre. Her star fell quickly, however, when she left the Moulin Rouge, in 1895, becoming a destitute alcoholic after a touring show she invested in was unsuccessful and frittered away her fortune. This poster is from the original Shaftesbury Theatre. It opened in 1888 and was later destroyed by bombing in 1941; there is now a fire station in its place. The current Shaftesbury Theatre, further down the road in Holborn, was renamed in 1963, having previously been The New Prince's Theatre. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | S.4593-1995 |
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| Record created | October 8, 2008 |
| Record URL |
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