During my trip to Europe, I had the great pleasure of watching the infamous Moulin Rouge, which is certainly as high-kicking now as ever! The décor, costumes, and performance were very inspiring, as they truly exuded the beauty and sexiness that every woman has inside.
My interest and curiosity in visiting the Moulin Rouge arose from my current work in the contemporary photographic interpretation of the genre. I would like to bring those stunning and inspirational historical images of courageous women into today’s boudoir portraits.
History of the Moulin Rouge: Smashing through Convention
The Moulin Rouge is a famous Parisian cabaret that gave birth to a genre of singing, dancing, fashion, and a carefree, bohemian way of life. The original Moulin Rouge (which means Red Windmill) was built in 1889 in the red-light district of Paris. The iconic symbol of the club is its red windmill that marks the exterior of the building and is present in many illustrations and artistic representations of the cabaret like these:
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The Moulin Rouge also gave rise to a genre of seductive, glamorous and slightly naughty women’s fashion and lingerie. The Moulin Rouge dancers were considered the epitome of beauty and sexuality, and their style has been imitated almost since the inception of the Moulin Rouge – perfect inspiration for boudoir photography!
The Moulin Rouge popularized the can-can, which has since become a respectable traditional French dance. The original dancers reinterpreted the can-can with sexy undertones to entertain the male clientele. The Moulin Rouge courtesans were known for their beauty as well as for their audacious vulgarity, and these dancers were more risqué than dancers at any other cabaret at the time. Thus, the name became synonymous with an evening of drinking and playful sexuality. When performing the can-can, Moulin Rouge dancers would lift their skirts to reveal their legs and undergarments, which was shocking and unheard of at the time.
The Moulin Rouge has sparked worldwide interest from painters, artists and filmmakers. Famous post-impressionist painter Henri Toulouse-Lautrec painted many Moulin Rouge inspired works.
Today’s Moulin Rouge
The modern Moulin Rouge has hosted performers such as Josephine Baker, Edith Piaf and Frank Sinatra. It is still a popular tourist attraction in Paris, which puts on regular shows and has maintained much of the original décor – allowing everyone to take in a sense of the historic setting.
“Moulin Rouge” is the title of a book by Pierre La Mure. This work was adapted into the 1952 film of the same name starring Jose Ferrer and Zsa-Zsa Gabor, which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture. There have been several other films with The Moulin Rouge as the subject, most recently Baz Luhrman’s 2001 version starring Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor, which was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture.
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Edited to Add:
I remembered this music video of Lady Marmalade. I love the costume and sets as inspiration for a vintage boudoir look. In case you were wondering Lady Marmalade was a prostitute in New Orleans (not Paris albeit the French Quarter). The song was originally recorded by Patti Labelle but this video with Chritsina, Mya, Pink and Lil Kim does depict the look of the Moulin Rouge around the turn of the last century… The lyrics “Voulez-vous coucher avec moi — ce soir?” means something like “Would you like to lie down with me tonight?”. There is also a live version of this song from the 2002 Grammy’s where Patti Labelle joins the younger women toward the end. It is quite good too.
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