Gaston Noury Gallery

Gaston Noury Moulin Rouge and Dance Hall Costume Designs, c. 1909-1910

Gaston Noury Postcard

Cabaret and Dance Hall Costume Designs
Paris: c. 1909-1910; Pencil and watercolor on stiff card, some with gilt, silver or sparkle highlights; 12 x 9 inches average approximate size; $450 to $750 each; Ten original designs of costumed female performers in cabarets and dance halls, most likely created as working costume designs since a few have fabric and accessory notes written on them. Five of them are specifically labeled for performances at the famous Moulin Rouge and Ambassadeurs venues in the Montmartre district of Paris, home to a thriving bohemian nightlife scene famously documented by the artist Henri Toulouse-Lautrec and others. Most of the drawings are dated 1910. The costumes themselves combine innocence and sexuality -- girlishly feminine floral motifs and fabrics slyly subverted with sexy cutouts showing off legs, midriff, cleavage and occasionally bare breasts. The drawing style combines delicate pencil lines and light watercolor washes to depict women with stylized, smiling faces and tiny hands and feet. All but one are signed on the front, and many have written notes on the back giving titles and dates.

Above item in the George Glazer Gallery: New York City Gallery, Upper East Side Manhattan; 28 E. 72nd Street, at Madison Avenue, New York, NY (212) 535-5706

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