More about La Goulue at the Moulin Rouge

Contributor

Watch out, this not a chick you want to mess with. 

This is Louise Weber aka La Goulue (The Glutton) in her natural habitat at the Moulin Rouge. She gained fame and notoriety for her sizzling hot dance moves, and helped create the Can-can. She had a totally fierce personality and was known to rock transparent clothes and pose topless for photos. No wonder Toulouse-Lautrec had such a desire to paint her!  In this one, we see her sister on the left, and her lover on the right. But who could pay attention to them while she's rocking that fab dress?

Weber had a relentless appetite for food, booze and life. Rumor has it that she received the nickname "The Glutton" because in her routines should would commonly dance on tables and quickly chug her customers' drinks before moving on. The girl knew how to party and was greatly rewarded for it. She was one of the highest paid entertainers of her day. She later invested most of her money into creating a traveling version of her show at the Moulin Rouge, but it was a total flop. Sadly, the years were not kind to her. She ended up broke, fat, and an alcoholic. To support herself until she died she sold peanuts, cigarettes, and matches near the Moulin Rouge, the place she used to rule.

Before her Lindsay Lohan-esque descent, Weber and Toulouse-Lautrec were total homies. Early on in Toulouse-Lautrec's career he was commissioned by the Moulin Rouge to create posters for them. After doing so they always reserved a seat for him and exhibited his paintings in the club. Total VIP status.