Rijksmuseum

Portrait of the Singer May Belfort with Loose Hanging Hair

Date

1895

Medium

paper

Institution

Rijksmuseum

With her enchanting English accent, the Irish singer May Belfort became all the rage in Paris. Lautrec portrayed her multiple times. In this case, he accentuated the effect of the footlights (spotlights along the front of the stage). Belfort’s act consisted of singing nursery rhymes with a double meaning in a lisping voice and with a sad face, dressed in typical English clothing and holding a cat.

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