Le Rat Mort ("The Dead Rat") was a popular cafe/restaurant and

cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music, song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, a casino, a hotel, a restaurant, or a nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or d ...

in Paris in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Located in the Place Pigalle in the

Montmartre Montmartre ( , ) is a large hill in Paris's northern 18th arrondissement. It is high and gives its name to the surrounding district, part of the Right Bank. The historic district established by the City of Paris in 1995 is bordered by Rue Ca ...

District, it was frequented by artists, writers, actors, artist models, and prostitutes, and was a gathering place for lesbians in the evenings. Paintings and sketches inspired by the cafe and its customers included work by

Toulouse Lautrec Comte Henri Marie Raymond de Toulouse-Lautrec-Monfa (24 November 1864 – 9 September 1901) was a French painter, printmaker, draughtsman, caricaturist and illustrator whose immersion in the colourful and theatrical life of Paris in th ...

, Maxime Dethomas,

Auguste Chabaud Auguste Chabaud (3 October 1882 – 23 May 1955) was a French painter and sculptor. Biography He was born in Nimes. At the age of fourteen Chabaud joined the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Avignon. In 1899 he went to Paris to continue his artistic trai ...

and Maurice de Vlaminck.

1837–1850s: Origins

Le Rat Mort started in 1837 as Cafe Pigalle at 7 Place Pigalle in the Montmartre district of Paris. It was across the street from another

bohemian Bohemian or Bohemians may refer to: *Anything of or relating to Bohemia Beer * National Bohemian, a brand brewed by Pabst * Bohemian, a brand of beer brewed by Molson Coors Culture and arts * Bohemianism, an unconventional lifestyle, origin ...

cafe, the Nouvelle Athenes. Shortly after the newly renovated cafe opened, one of the intellectuals who was a regular at the Nouvelle Athens had an argument with the owner and brought his friends and his business across the street to the Cafe Pigalle. Because the material used to renovate the cafe had not yet dried, when the group entered the new location, someone said "It smells like a dead rat in here", and from then on the place was known as Le Rat Mort. Other origin stories say that a dead rat was found in the beer pump of the cafe, or that the rat was killed because it interrupted a secret lovers' tryst that was taking place in one of the cafe's private rooms.

Charles Baudelaire Charles Pierre Baudelaire (, ; ; 9 April 1821 – 31 August 1867) was a French poetry, French poet who also produced notable work as an essayist and art critic. His poems exhibit mastery in the handling of rhyme and rhythm, contain an exoticis ...

was one of the writers who frequented Le Rat Mort in the 1850s. When the cafe started, many of the women who visited the cafes and restaurants of Montmartre were artist models or prostitutes in search of customers, stemming from a tradition of artist models gathering at the fountain in the Place Pigalle to hire themselves out to artists.

1860s–1870s: Writers, revolutionaries and lesbians

Giovanni Boldini - Conversation at the Cafe

In the 1860s–70s, the Rat Mort continued to be frequented by intellectuals and people in the arts. Customers of that time included poet

Fernand Desnoyers Fernand Desnoyers, full name Félix-Emile-Arthur Desnoyers, (10 September 1826 – 5 November 1869 Digital archives of the Ville de Paris, vital record of the 15th arrondissement, register of 1869 deaths, act n° 2709, vue 1/3 The act mentions he ...

, and writers

Catulle Mendes Gaius Valerius Catullus (; 84 - 54 BCE), often referred to simply as Catullus (, ), was a Latin poet of the late Roman Republic who wrote chiefly in the neoteric style of poetry, focusing on personal life rather than classical heroes. His s ...

,Henry Cantel Eugene Ceyras, Albert Merat, Leon Clodel and other poets of the Parnassian school of literature. Some of the regulars of the Rat Mort were active in the short-lived revolutionary

Paris Commune The Paris Commune (french: Commune de Paris, ) was a revolutionary government that seized power in Paris, the capital of France, from 18 March to 28 May 1871. During the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71, the French National Guard had defended ...

of 1871. After the fall of the commune, some did not return, but by 1874, the cafe was once again a gathering place for political and literary discussion. By the 1870s, the cafe had also solidified its reputation as a "cafe au femmes", a "cafe for women." Women had begun gathering there since before the Paris commune, according to an 1889 article in the Paris Courier, which also published this two line poem: :''Les Femmes s'en vont'' :''au Rat Mort/'' :''Pour réveiller'' :''le chat qui dort'' :''(The women go'' :''to the Dead Rat/'' :''to wake the sleeping cat)'' The cafe's popularity with queer women led to lesbians sometimes being called "Dead Rats" because of their association with the cafe. Gay lovers Paul Verlaine and Arthur Rimbaud were also frequent visitors to the Rat Mort, whose official name was still the Cafe Pigalle. It was there that Rimbaud told Verlaine he wanted to show him 'an experiment' and asked him to extend his wrists. Rimbaud then stabbed Verlaine in the wrists with a knife.

1880s–1890s: Artistry and expansion

A 1889 French newspaper review of the cafe/restaurant mentions the large rat painted on its ceiling by Leon Goupil, as well as its delicious onion soup, and describes it as a place that was frequented by celebrated artists and writers which had also always been a 'restaurant des femmes.'

Gustave Courbet Jean Désiré Gustave Courbet ( , , ; 10 June 1819 – 31 December 1877) was a French painter who led the Realism movement in 19th-century French painting. Committed to painting only what he could see, he rejected academic convention and t ...

Emile Zola Emil or Emile may refer to: Literature *''Emile, or On Education'' (1762), a treatise on education by Jean-Jacques Rousseau * ''Émile'' (novel) (1827), an autobiographical novel based on Émile de Girardin's early life *''Emil and the Detective ...

and Edouard Manet were frequent visitors. By the 1890s the cultural and artistic expression of France's

Belle Epoque Belle may refer to: * Belle (''Beauty and the Beast'') * Belle (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Belle (surname), a list of people Brands and enterprises * Belle Air, a former airline with headquarters in Tirana, Albania ...

was well underway. The cafe was known as "one of the oldest in Montmartre" and was frequented by artists of the era, including

Edgar Degas Edgar Degas (, ; born Hilaire-Germain-Edgar De Gas, ; 19 July 183427 September 1917) was a French Impressionist artist famous for his pastel drawings and oil paintings. Degas also produced bronze sculptures, prints and drawings. Degas is es ...

and

, as well as artist models and sex workers. It was famous for its Second Empire interior design, which included huge mirrors and elaborate gas lamps. The painter Joseph Faverot enhanced Goupil's painting of the ceiling rat by adding

fresco Fresco (plural ''frescos'' or ''frescoes'') is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaste ...

s of the four stages of a rat's life: Baptism, Wedding, Orgy, and Death. The restaurant had two doors, an official entrance and a back door to leave by. Lautrec in a private room at the rat mort 1899

Lautrec in a private room at the rat mort 1899

Lautrec immortalized the cafe and one of its customers in " In a Private Dining Room At the Rat Mort." (1899) The painting shows a courtesan, possibly Lucy Jourdain, seated in an intimate room intended for liaisons with sex workers. In the late 1890s, a group of Belgian writers gathered at the Rat Mort to enjoy themselves, and had such a good time that upon returning to Belgium some of them organized the first Dead Rat Ball in 1898, Le Bal du Rat mort, an annual philanthropic costume ball that continues in the 21st century.

1900–1920s: Restaurant to cabaret

In 1903, Le Rat Mort was described as "one of the most celebrated restaurants" in Paris, which specialized in after hours entertainment. The bisexual writer

Colette Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette (; 28 January 1873 – 3 August 1954), known mononymously as Colette, was a French author and woman of letters. She was also a mime, actress, and journalist. Colette is best known in the English-speaking world for her ...

frequented the place and once described a young female music hall dancer wearing a masculine hat as having 'that particular Rat Mort elegance.' Painters Maxime Dethomas and Vlaminck Maurice both did portraits of women at the Rat Mort, and

depicted a couple entering the club. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, some cafes and nightclubs of Montmartre emptied out as the intellectuals and artists that frequented them were conscripted into the war. At the same time,

Black Americans African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

discovered the cultural life of the district when some came to France as soldiers. These Americans stayed or returned after the war to work as musicians and performers, creating a thriving

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

scene in 1920s Montmartre.

Josephine Baker Josephine Baker (born Freda Josephine McDonald; naturalised French Joséphine Baker; 3 June 1906 – 12 April 1975) was an American-born French dancer, singer and actress. Her career was centered primarily in Europe, mostly in her adopted Fran ...

was a regular performer at Le Rat Mort, after she finished her gig with

La Revue Negre LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * La (musical note), or A, the sixth note * "L.A.", a song by Elliott Smith on ''Figur ...

. Another Black American performer, Lydia Jones, said, "We made lots of tips at the Rat Mort, it was a naughty place." At the time, the club was managed by members of the Corsican mafia. The Prince of Wales was also a frequent visitor during the 1920s. By 1926 the establishment was described in a guidebook as a cabaret that was "Open from midnight to dawn" with "a celebrated orchestra, lots of beautiful women wanting customers to pay them to dance with them."

1930s–Present: Closure and Legacy

The

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

of the 1930s brought increased crime and Mafia rivalry to the Pigalle district. In 1934, Le Rat Mort was the scene of a shooting between two members of the Corsican mafia, Jean Paul Stefani and Ange Foata. Ange's 5-year-old son was killed, but Stefani was eventually acquitted. Le Rat Mort closed shortly thereafter. By the middle of the 20th century, a succession of other nightclubs had taken its place. As of 2023, the building where it once stood was a bank. But the site continued in the 21st century to attract visitors curious about the bohemian history of Paris. Modern scholars have discussed the significance of Le Rat Mort to the history of art, literature, gender and LGBTQ studies. The singer and musician Manu Chao refers to the Rat Mort in his early 21st century song La Ventura: "Un claque à filles de mauvaise vie ù/ que Stafanì y blessa par balle/ Angelo le mafioso/ L'a eu de la chance ce vieux saloud!/ d' s'en tirer comme ca sans trop d'accrocs/ ENTRE CHIENS ET LOUPS/ QUAND TOMBE LA NUIT" "It's at the Dead Rat in Pigalle,/ a house of ill repute,/ that Stafani shot and wounded/ Angelo the mafioso./ That old bastard got lucky!/ To get away with it like that without too many problems,/ between dogs and wolves/ when the night falls."

Gallery

Additional drawings by Joseph Faverot from wall frescoes at Le Rat Mort Faverot Le Baptême Le Rat mort.png, 1 Baptism Faverot L'Orgie Le Rat mort.png, 2 Orgy Faverot La Mort Le Rat mort.png, 3 Death Interior Le Rat Mort Restaurant Paris.png, 4 Interior of Le Rat Mort Le Rat Mort in Place Pigalle Montmartre Paris.jpg, 5 Exterior of Le Rat Mort in Place Pigalle Place Pigalle Fountain late 1800s.jpg, 6 Artist models seeking clients near the Place Pigalle Fountain visited Le Rat Mort in its early days

References

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