Sacre bleu! Paris poster girl was Irish

THE French painter Toulouse-Lautrec (1864-1901) was quite an aficionado of the more decadent aspects of fin-de-siècle Paris nightlife.

The illustrations he created for posters to promote the Moulin Rouge nightclub – birthplace of the can-can – and other cabaret venues in Montmartre are among the most enduring images of France.

In 1895, he designed a poster for the singer May Belfort at the Petit Casino. A copy goes under the hammer at vintage posters specialist, Swann Auction Galleries in New York, next Wednesday, with a whopping estimate of $20,000-$30,000 (€13,892-€20,838).

Belfort, who had moved to Paris from the music-halls of London, created a sensation in the French capital. Her provocative act, featuring songs laced with double-entendres, delighted Toulouse-Lautrec who depicted her wearing her signature red dress. Little is known about Belfort but she was apparently an Irishwoman whose real name was May Egan.

Other Irish-interest lots in the sale include an extremely rare American poster designed for a fundraising campaign in New York to support Irish soldiers injured during the first World War ($800-$1,200/€556-€834).

An attractive poster created for the Ulster Transport Authority using an image of Norman Wilkinson's painting, The Little Farm By The Sea($700-$1,000/€486-€695).

Vintage Posters, Swann Auction Galleries, 104 East 25th Street, New York. August 3rd, 2011. swanngalleries.com