An Irishman's Diary on May Belfort - Irish-born entertainer

I have just written an Irishman's Diary in the Irish Times newspaper on May Belfort (c. 1872-1929). Read it here. Belfort was a singer and entertainer who appeared on stages all around Europe, North America, South Africa and Russia at the end of the 19th century.

Below are some of images of Belfort, including two by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and a poster to advertise an appearance by Belfort in 1900. 

As I mention in the article, Belfort died in poverty in America in 1929. An article from an Australian newspaper from 23 July 1929 says that she lost the "considerable fortune" that she amassed from her stage career through ill-advised mining investments. It also says that towards the end of her life she had been making a "bare living" as a rug weaver. A sad end to such a colourful life. Read the Australian newspaper article here on Trove.

 'Portrait of Miss May Belfort', Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. Image source.

May Belfort by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. Image source.

May Belfort poster by Henri Paolo. Image source.

An Irishman's Diary on the forgotten Irish artist Stella Steyn

I have just written an Irishman's Diary in the Irish Times newspaper on the forgotten Irish artist, Stella Steyn (1907-1987). After training in Dublin, Berlin and Paris, she studied at the Bauhaus school of art in Dessau, Germany. She was the only Irish artist to attend the Bauhaus. Read my article here.

 

Portrait of Stella Steyn by Patrick Tuphy. Image source.

Her paintings and drawings can be found in private collections and in galleries and museums around Ireland, including the Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA) and National Museums Northern Ireland. In the UK, the British Museum holds some of her prints and one of her oil paintings is held in the British Government art collection.

Steyn seems to have stopped painting at some point during the late 1930s. For more information about this talented Irish artist, you can read the entry on her in the Dictionary of Irish Biography and this essay on the Molesworth Gallery's website. For information about the Bauhaus, there is a good article here from the Met Museum.

'Townscene' (1940) by Stella Steyn. Image source.

P.S.

I came across this lovely article about Stella Steyn that was published in the Evening Star in May 1930. It talks about her traveling to Galway and the Aran Islands to sketch farmers and country yokels (not a term you would ever hear in Ireland!), as well as trips to Toulon, Marseille and Avignon in France, where she made 'lightning sketches' in sailors' bars. It sounds like she really loved to draw and didn't take her self too seriously.

 

American newspaper article about Steyn, 01/05/1930. Image source.