Beyond the Myth of Lesbian Montmartre: The Case of Chez Palmyre

This article focuses on one emblematic figure of lesbian Montmartre during the belle époque, the notorious restaurateur Palmyre. After managing the lesbian brasserie La Souris in the 1890s, Palmyre opened her own establishment, Palmyr's Bar, opposite the Moulin Rouge in the early twentieth cent...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Historical reflections 2016-06, Vol.42 (2), p.75-96
Main Author: Choquette, Leslie
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bars
Cabarets
Commercialization
Criminal sentencing
Entrepreneurs
Fiction
Gay communities
Homosexuality
Journalism
Lesbianism
Lesbians
Music
Police
Popular culture
Prisons
Prostitution
Queer culture
Queer studies
Restaurants
Restaurateurs
Sex workers
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:This article focuses on one emblematic figure of lesbian Montmartre during the belle époque, the notorious restaurateur Palmyre. After managing the lesbian brasserie La Souris in the 1890s, Palmyre opened her own establishment, Palmyr's Bar, opposite the Moulin Rouge in the early twentieth century. Palmyre's restaurants, the second of which catered to gays as well as lesbians, feature in police, judicial, and fiscal archives as well as the visual arts, journalism, fiction, and memoir. Palmyre's story, besides conveying a slice of lesbian life in Montmartre during the belle époque, illustrates the importance of lesbian and gay entrepreneurs and entertainers to the making of "Gay Paree." Establishments like Palmyre's, no less than the bohemian cabarets and giant music halls, contributed to the development of commercialized mass culture in the city, while also providing community space and artistic outlets for Paris's gays and lesbians.
ISSN:0315-7997
1939-2419
DOI:10.3167/hrrh.2016.420205