Born Emma Laure Esther Guilbert in Paris, France on January 20, 1865,Yvette Guilbert was a cabaret singer, actress, and model and became one of the most popular entertainers of the Belle-Époque era. She was born into a poor family and started singing as a child before becoming a model at the age of 16. She began taking acting lessons in 1885 and performed shows in theaters such as Bouffes du Nord, the Théâtre des Nouveaux and the Variety Theater. She was discovered by Charles Zidler, who was best known as the founder of the Moulin Rouge and the director of the Hippodrome. After a series of small roles, she turned to song and took a lead role in the operetta Le Moulin de la galette (1988) before performing in Pourvu qu’on rigole in 1890. She performed at several Parisian music halls including the Eldorado and the Éden-Concert. She started achieving a bit of success after a performance in Brussels ended with a standing ovation. She returned to Paris and, after ending her contract with Éden-Concert, she began performing at the Moulin Rouge. Yvette Guilbert became the talk of Paris and inspired artists, painters, and poster designers including Jules Chéret, Henri Dumont, Ferdinand Bac, Joseph Granié and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, who’s artistic representations of her have gone down in history. Her live repertoire consisted of monologues and popular songs of the day, which led to successful recordings such as "Le Fiacre," "L'Hôtel du n° 3," "Madame Arthur," "Parte carré," and "The Praise of the Elders." Yvette Guilbert became seriously ill in 1896 and cancelled all contracts beginning in 1900. After a long break, she broke her silence in 1906 by performing a recital at Carnegie Hall in New York. Returning to theater and live performances, she began performing less familiar songs that had been largely forgotten. She also starred in several silent films between 1924 and 1936. Accompanied by pianist Irène Aïtoff, Yvette Guilbert toured in Europe and the US before she moved from performing to giving singing lessons, directing theater, radio, and writing. In 1932, she was honored with the rank of Knight of the Legion of Honor, before creating the musical comedy Madam Chiffon in 1933. Yvette Guilbert died on February 3, 1944, at the age of 79. Now considered a legend, her career continues to be celebrated in art and through reissues of her music including compilations such as Ses Grands Succès (2002), 1897-1928 (2010), 1933-1934 (2010), and Yvette Guilbert - Collection Patrimoine (2018).
