{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O137561"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O137561/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2006BB1998/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2006BB1998/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"high","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2006BB1998","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":{"_iiif_pres":"https://iiif.vam.ac.uk/collections/O137561/manifest.json","_alt_iiif_pres":[]}},"record":{"systemNumber":"O137561","accessionNumber":"E.232-1921","objectType":"Poster","titles":[{"title":"May Belfort","type":"assigned by artist"}],"summaryDescription":"The Irish singer, May Belfort (c. 1872-1929), who lived and worked in Paris in the 1890s, gained notoriety for her performance of the innuendo-laden song, 'Daddy wouldn't buy me a bow-wow':\r\n\r\n'I've got a little pussycat\r\nAnd I'm very fond of that\r\nBut I'd rather have a bow-wow'\r\n\r\nBelfort appears in several works by Toulouse-Lautrec and, as is the case with this poster, is frequently depicted holding a small black cat in a reference to her signature song. This inclusion also served to highlight the 'little girl' image that Belfort had contrived for herself.\r\nShe had a romantic relationship with May Milton who had an act on the Paris stage along similar lines in the mid-1890s.","physicalDescription":"Colour lithograph poster depicting the Irish singer and comedian May Belfort (c. 1872-1929) also known as May Egan, wearing a long, red dress and holding a black cat with a yellow bow tied around its neck. 2nd state (B, version i) inclusive of the printer's line 'Bella, 113 Charing Cross Road, London'.","artistMakerPerson":[{"name":{"text":"Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec","id":"A6626"},"association":{"text":"artist","id":"AAT25103"},"note":""},{"name":{"text":"Bella, Edward","id":"AUTH413014"},"association":{"text":"printers","id":"AAT25732"},"note":""}],"artistMakerOrganisations":[],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[{"text":"Lithographic ink","id":"AAT187750"},{"text":"Paper","id":"x30308"}],"techniques":[{"text":"lithograph","id":"x39981"},{"text":"splatter","id":"AAT254788"}],"materialsAndTechniques":"Colour lithograph printed in four colours ","categories":[{"text":"Prints","id":"THES48903"},{"text":"Posters","id":"THES252963"},{"text":"Gender and Sexuality","id":"THES48940"}],"styles":[],"collectionCode":{"text":"PDP","id":"THES48595"},"images":["2006BB1998"],"imageResolution":"high","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"LVLC","id":"THES49171"},"free":"","case":"MB2F","shelf":"DR105","box":""}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"poster","id":""}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"France","id":"x28849"},"association":{"text":"designed","id":"x29338"},"note":""},{"place":{"text":"London","id":"x28980"},"association":{"text":"printed","id":"AAT53319"},"note":""}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"1895","earliest":"1895-01-01","latest":"1895-12-31"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"associatedObjects":[],"creditLine":"Given by Mrs J.T. Clarke","dimensions":[{"dimension":"Height","value":"797","unit":"mm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"2016","earliest":"2016-01-01","latest":"2016-12-31"},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"Width","value":"604","unit":"mm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"2016","earliest":"2016-01-01","latest":"2016-12-31"},"part":"","note":""}],"dimensionsNote":"","marksAndInscriptions":[{"content":"'HTL'","inscriber":{"name":{"text":"","id":""},"association":{"text":"","id":""}},"date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"description":"","interpretation":"","language":"","medium":"","method":"","position":"","script":"","translation":"","transliteration":"","type":"","note":"Artist's monogram, lower left"},{"content":"'May Belfort'","inscriber":{"name":{"text":"","id":""},"association":{"text":"","id":""}},"date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"description":"","interpretation":"","language":"","medium":"","method":"","position":"","script":"","translation":"","transliteration":"","type":"","note":"Lower right"},{"content":"'Bella, 113 Charing cross'","inscriber":{"name":{"text":"","id":""},"association":{"text":"","id":""}},"date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"description":"","interpretation":"","language":"","medium":"","method":"","position":"","script":"","translation":"","transliteration":"","type":"","note":"Along the bottom, some lettering is lost"}],"objectHistory":"","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"Colour lithograph poster, 'May Belfort' by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. Printed in London by Edward Bella, 1895.","bibliographicReferences":[{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"Coutts, Howard and Claire Jones  <u>Toulouse Lautrec and the art of the French Poster</u>.  Bowes Museum, 2004. 53 p., ill.  ISBN 0954818202."},{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"p. 131","free":"Phillip Dennis Cate, Saskia Oooms, Michela Niccolai, Laurent Bihl, Ricard Bru i Turull, <i>Toulouse-Lautrec i l'esperit de Montmartre</i>. Barcelona : Obra Social la Caixa, 2018. 274 pages : illustrations (some colour), portraits ; 24 cm. ISBN: 9788499002118 "},{"reference":{"text":"Toulouse-Lautrec : the complete prints","id":"AUTH411403"},"details":"","free":"The Wittrock catalogue raisonne describes this version as rare with only one other copy known in the collection of the Copenhagen Museum of Decorative Arts. The key difference is in the printing with this one bearing the name of [Edward] Bella, a London printer.  It is otherwise described as state 'B. Without remarque' and with the name and address of the printer printed in olive green in the lower right. "}],"production":"","productionType":{"text":"Limited edition","id":"THES48862"},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[{"text":"Belfort, May","id":"N6956"}],"associatedPerson":[],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[{"text":"singer","id":"AAT25684"},{"text":"cats","id":"x34806"},{"text":"bisexual","id":"THES266827"}],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[],"partNumbers":["E.232-1921"],"accessionNumberNum":"232","accessionNumberPrefix":"E","accessionYear":1921,"otherNumbers":[],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE"],"assets":[],"recordModificationDate":"2026-05-27","recordCreationDate":"2007-07-18","availableToBook":false}}