Chat noir

Chat Noir (French for "black cat") was a famous 19th century cabaret in the notoriously bohemian Montmartre district of Paris. It opened on 18 November 1881 at 84 Boulevard Rouchechouart by the artist Rodolphe Salis.

Related Topics:
French - Cabaret - Montmartre - Paris - 18 November - 1881

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Perhaps best known now by its iconic Théophile-Alexandre Steinlein poster art, in its heyday it was a bustling nightclub - part artist salon, part rowdy music hall, partially due to an illegal piano. The cabaret published its own journal "Le Chat Noir". It began as a small, two room affair, but within three and a half years its popularity forced it to move into larger accommodations a few doors down.

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According to Salis: "The Chat Noir is the most extraordinary cabaret in the world. You rub shoulders with the most famous men of Paris, meeting there with foreigners from every corner of the world."

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Famous patrons of the Chat Noir included Adolphe Willette, Caran d'Ache, Henri Rivière, George Auriol.

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