Miss May Belfort en cheveux

Born May Egan in Ireland, May Belfort (1872-1929) was a comedian and singer first in the London music halls and then in Paris, where she performed her trademark flirtatious songs at the café des Décadents and the Petit Casino. She commissioned the famous 1895 poster from Lautrec showing her wearing a red dress with her ever present black cat, and the artist painted her more than once. For all her mock-innocent airs, Belfort was famous for her lesbian affairs, most notably with May Milton. She was also the lover of the Boer General Ben Viljoen. In fact, Belfort expected to marry Viljoen. When it turned out he was already married and unwilling to continue the relationship, she traveled to Chicago and horsewhipped him in the street. Belfort retired from the stage due to ill health. Due to bad investments in mining, in later life Belfort lived in poverty, working as a rug weaver. She died after a long illness in the United States in 1929.