Le Lido de Paris

Poster House recently installed a new billboard near the Poster History Timeline—the first official curatorial project completed by our new Assistant Curator of Collections, Es-pranza Humphrey. Read below about her impressions of the poster and the writing process.  

I recently watched a documentary about the history of the Las Vegas Strip showing footage of entertainers and revelers during the early years of Sin City in the 1940s and 1950s. At one point, I noticed a marquee on the Stardust Hotel announcing “Le Lido de Paris.” This was an exciting detail since we recently unveiled our new billboard showcasing René Gruau’s design from 1957 promoting a Parisian dinner show called C’est Magnifique at Le Lido.

The original Parisian venue became so popular that it was soon adapted to fit the pace of the Las Vegas entertainment industry; a version of it opened at the Stardust Hotel in 1958. I know this now because the billboard is my first curatorial project in my new role as Assistant Curator of Collections. 

Part of the writing process requires that I decide which information takes priority, and, in this case, I had to trim information about the Stardust hosting Le Lido in Las Vegas; however, it was satisfying to discover more about the international impact of a Parisian cabaret. It also related to my personal interest in the history of fashion and performance. Writing this text allowed me to learn not only about the history of the showgirl but also about how René Gruau designed a flamboyant and colorful image that embodied the spirit of Parisian burlesque and cabaret.

The museum typically rotates the billboard vitrine approximately every 18 months, so visitors have plenty of time to stop by, read about this revue’s history, and tag us in their IG stories.