(Folies Bergére after Maurice Milliere)

Christophe Adrien (Count) Regley de Koenigsegg

A charming watercolor of five dancers in the Belle Epoch style, done after one of the three panels of a folding program originally printed in triptych form. The tri-fold pamphlet had three illustrations of the entertainers frequently seen at the Folies Bergere, a Parisian cabaret founded in the 1860s and still in operation today. The venue’s popularity was at its height from the 1890s to the 1920s and was known for its somewhat scandalous entertainment.

The triptych from which this image was taken was painted by the artist Maurice Milliere and printed in color lithography by Imprimerie Chaux, a print shop located near the venue on Rue Bergere. The original image did not have the title above it; Christophe Adrien Regley de Koenigsegg took artistic liberty and added it onto the top of the image when he painted it in miniature, using the same font as the original pamphlet.