Visiting Montmartre today, one still gets a bit of a feel for this time, if only because of the cobbled streets and 19th century houses that dominate the Butte. But if you want to delve into this era even further, here are some suggestions from our Chicline staff.

There are thousands of books, films, and other works that somehow relate to life in Montmartre during the Belle-Époque. Just about any text on modern art history will probably have to at least mention Montmartre in passing – after all, from the Impressionists and Post-Impressionists, to Picasso and Modigliani, the Butte’s been the Home Sweet Home of most of the greats of this period. For an evocation of the nightlife and behind-the-scenes moments in the cabarets, café-concerts, and brothels of Montmartre, a biography on, or collection of works by, Toulouse-Lautrec, is a must.

The Musée d’Orsay houses an incredible collection of paintings, sculpture, drawings, and even furniture, from this time. In addition, from now until July 10th, visitors can also feast their eyes on some of the original zinc shadow puppets from the Chat Noir cabaret, as well as artist Christian Boltanski’s contemporary spin on them. And of course there’s the Butte’s own charming Musée de Montmartre, located on the rue Cortot. Here, you’ll find original posters by Toulouse-Lautrec and Steinlen, decorations from the Chat Noir cabaret, and numerous other treasures.

In terms of fiction, one good read is French writer Michel Peyramaure’s novel Les Escaliers de Montmartre. The book presents us with the story of real-life artist and model Suzanne Valadon, who posed for, and painted with, the likes of Renoir, Degas, and, of course, Toulouse-Lautrec, and who is the mother of another great Montmartre artist, Maurice Utrillo. The book is intended to be the first in a series, so it seems to end a bit abruptly, and doesn’t give us Valadon’s complete life story. But it’s still an amazing evocation of life among the artists and everymen of the Butte in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

As far as Montmartre movies go, there are quite a few out there. Most notable are Jean Renoir (son of painter Auguste)’s French Cancan, and, of course, Baz Luhrmann’s recent Moulin Rouge! As fans of the latter know, though it’s a modern musical, the movie’s look, themes, and storyline, are about as Belle-Époque as it gets.

Speaking of music, the chanson, French for ‘song’, was also an important part of life in turn-of-the-century Montmartre. Sung in café-concerts by personalities like Aristide Bruant, chansons were clever and often full of popular language and vernacular. They frequently celebrated or commiserated with artists and/or the working class, and usually ended up painting a mini-portrait of Parisian and Montmartrois society. The lyrics of many of these songs can be found online, and recordings of Bruant and others can be bought in most major Parisian music stores.