Madame Palmyre | |
|---|---|
 Madame Palmyre and Her Dog, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, 1897 | |
| Born | Palmire Louise Dumont 4 March 1855 Béthune, France |
| Died | 4 February 1915 (aged 59) Paris, France |
| Other names | Palmyre Dumont |
| Occupations |
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Palmire Louise Dumont (4 March 1855 – 4 February 1915), generally known as Madame Palmyre or Palmyre, was the manager and owner of two early gay bars in Paris in the 1890s–1900s: the lesbian bar La Souris (The Mouse) and the mixed Palmyr's Bar. She was an iconic figure in creating the culture of "gay Paree" in Montmartre during the Belle Époque.
Dumont was born in Béthune to a working-class family with long ties to the brewing industry. They moved to Lille, where she worked in a textile mill until she was around twenty-two years old. After leaving the mill, she may have been a sex worker before moving to Paris around 1880, where she began to manage restaurants and bars. Her first establishment was reportedly near the Place de l'Opéra. Around 1897, Dumont took over management of La Souris, turning it into one of the most famous clubs for lesbians and wealthy patrons. In 1909, she opened Palmyr's Bar across the street from the Moulin Rouge. The bar prospered and was expanded during her ownership.
Dumont and her French Bulldog became featured subjects in lithographs and sketches created by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec in the 1890s. The two bars that she ran catered to gay and lesbian clients and were frequently discussed in court and police documents, as well as in literary publications and memoirs. As an entrepreneur, she hired entertainers and hosted events that not only provided entertainment and employment for members of the LGBT community, but also helped create tourism and commerce which benefited the Parisian economy. Dumont's work as an entrepreneur was instrumental in the social history of lesbian Montmartre, and her businesses are studied to understand the establishment and development of lesbian and gay businesses in modern Paris.