While Gesmar’s career is most frequently associated with that of Mistinguett, his very first poster, at the age of 16, was for Spinelly. Born in 1890, she appeared in all the major music halls, eventually transferring over to radio and film by the 1930s. A similar portrait of the performer with a monkey was done by Irène Wells in 1925 for the publication Fantasio. While it is unclear what exactly the act entailed, some sources cite that she was accompanied by two monkeys named Augustus and Pepita.
Imp. Devambez, Paris
literature: Gesmar, p. 83; PAI-LV, 310