Yvette Guilbert, in Columbine a Pierrot

Yvette Guilbert (1867-1944) carefully cultivated a style which went against the prevailing trend of buxom, bawdy cabaret singers. She had a thin and willowy elegance which she accented by wearing tiny-waisted dresses and long black gloves. In her memoirs Guilbert wrote, I was looking for an impression of extreme simplicity...I wanted above all to appear highly distinguished. This dignified look was an important part of her act. Toulouse-Lautrec captured the way Guilbert would pause during her song, cocking her head to one side and placing her thumb to her mouth in mock modesty as she hesitated over her next line. This would signal to the audience that they were to shout out her subsequent line, which was usually the more witty, but lewd, portion of the song.