
This poster was created to advertise the appearance of a troupe of four dancers, Eglantine Demay, Jane Avril, Cléopatre and Gazelle at London's Palace Theater in 1896. The group's reception in England was less than positive, as audiences expected their performance of the French can-can to be much more risqué and salacious. It was during this trip that personal rivalries tore the group apart, and Toulouse-Lautrec represents this iciness between the dancers in both their faces and body language.