May Belfort
Poster
1895 (made)
1895 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
The Irish singer, May Belfort, who lived and worked in Paris, gained notoriety in 1895 for her performance of the song, 'Daddy wouldn't buy me a bow-wow', the lyrics of which ran,
'I've got a little cat
And I'm very fond of that...'
Belfort appears in several works by Toulouse-Lautrec and, as is the case with this poster, is frequently depicted holding a small black cat, a reference both to her signature song and to the singer's lesbian affairs. This inclusion also served to highlight the 'little girl' image that Belfort had contrived for herself.
'I've got a little cat
And I'm very fond of that...'
Belfort appears in several works by Toulouse-Lautrec and, as is the case with this poster, is frequently depicted holding a small black cat, a reference both to her signature song and to the singer's lesbian affairs. This inclusion also served to highlight the 'little girl' image that Belfort had contrived for herself.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | May Belfort (popular title) |
| Materials and techniques | Colour Lithograph |
| Brief description | Poster for 'May Belfort' by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. |
| Physical description | Depicts a woman in a long, red dress holding a black cat with a yellow bow tied around its neck. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions |
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| Credit line | Given by Mrs J.T. Clarke |
| Production | Dated as same print in the BN. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | The Irish singer, May Belfort, who lived and worked in Paris, gained notoriety in 1895 for her performance of the song, 'Daddy wouldn't buy me a bow-wow', the lyrics of which ran, 'I've got a little cat And I'm very fond of that...' Belfort appears in several works by Toulouse-Lautrec and, as is the case with this poster, is frequently depicted holding a small black cat, a reference both to her signature song and to the singer's lesbian affairs. This inclusion also served to highlight the 'little girl' image that Belfort had contrived for herself. |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | E.232-1921 |
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| Record created | July 18, 2007 |
| Record URL |
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