The Bal Tabarin opened its doors in 1904, and became home to the cancan, then later the Charleston, and then whatever the latest dance craze was. From the outside it looked like the entrance to a tomb, but inside it was hot and, as the magazine Candide put it: “The star of the Tabarin, that’s woman” (March 4, 1937). To say this graphically, Colin uses one of his favorite techniques, a multiple exposure portraying the history of dance at the Tabarin: Jane Avril does the cancan, La Argentina swishes her flamenco skirt, and Josephine Baker struts toward us doing the Charleston. This is the smaller format.
literature: Colin, 25 (var); Colin Affichiste, 172; Timeless Images, 91; Weill, 365; Art Deco, p. 101; PAI-LXXXVIII, 294