The Moulin Rouge opened in October 1889 with the owners calling it a temple of music and dance (top right). Alive with can-can routines (bottom right), drinking and scandal, the Paris establishment became notorious. Its exotic reputation was fuelled further by the addition of a giant wooden elephant in 1900 that featured a room in its belly for intimate dances (centre). Many of the cabaret performers quickly became prominent characters in the nightclub, including Mistinguett (left), who was said to have insured her legs for 500,000 francs. Lively images from during its heyday reveal why this institution became the stuff of legends and film.
