This delightful colorized photograph was taken in Berlin, probably in the late 1800s–early 1900s.
Text at the center bottom reads: “Jm Tango-Club – Revue der modernen Tänze” or “Jm Tango Club – Revue of modern dances.” Text in the bottom right corner reads “PHOT. WILLINGER – BERLIN.” The original photo was definitely black and white and was colorized later.
It’s unclear how the image was originally used: as a “naughty” postcard? The same-sex titillation is there, but the text seems informative rather than suggestive. Or was the “joke” that Berlin was so decadent that this sort of thing happened? Please let me know if you do more research.
This is making me sad, so let’s look at some reclaiming by the LGBTQ+ communities.
Here, the original type is replaced with “Season’s Greetings.” I’ve seen this version of the image on LGBTQ+ holiday cards and other items.
The Médiathèque James Baldwin in Paris used the original image for an event about “Queer Tango” in November 2025.
Facebook’s translation of the agenda is kind of incoherent, but you get the general idea:
“An afternoon dedicated to Tango Queer will be held on Saturday, November 8 at the media library.
At 3pm – A screening of the film “Queer Tango” by Aleksandr M. Vinogradov as part of the Month of Documentaries.
At 17h – A two-hour initiation to Tango Queer with dancer and choreographer Céline Tiberghien. An opportunity to discover Argentine tango in a queer approach, more inclusive than tango says “traditional”.
(Upon registration with the libraries, by phone at 01 44 52 27 70 or by mail at mediatheque.james-baldwin@paris.fr)”
