Some say no other venue revolutionized the Rio nightlife scene more than Boate Vogue, an icon of the 1940s and 1950s. There are countless legends and colorful stories about the venue, which was located on Princesa Isabel Avenue, in the nerve center of Copacabana. The "boîte" was founded by Max von Stukart, the Baron, an Austrian of noble lineage who arrived in Rio fleeing the war. The Vogue soon became the coolest stage in the city, frequented by the most important figures of the time. Musically, it was eclectic. Great singers like Dolores Duran, Elizeth Cardoso, and Emilinha Borba made history on its stage. But the Vogue's trademark was the piano of the Turkish Sacha Rubin, who welcomed the habitués with their favorite songs.
Image description: The image is an old newspaper, dated August 16, 1955, with the headline "THE SHOCKING SCENES OF THE FIRE AT THE 'VOGUE' BUILDING." The page is black and white, with highlighted text and a few black-and-white images. At the top is the newspaper's masthead "CORREIO DA MANHÃ" and the section number. The text is divided into several sections, including a featured photo on the left showing the interior of a building damaged by the fire. On the right are articles about the fire escape and technical deficiencies. At the bottom center is an image of people inside a building, possibly during a rescue or investigation.Newspaper reports fire at Boate Vogue
In the buzz of its salons, crucial conversations took place for the country's economic, cultural, and political scene. Vogue, after all, was above all a meeting place. At the same time, it marked a shift in the behavior of Rio's elite, who were adopting increasingly liberal attitudes. Marriages were made and unmade to the sound of the establishment's famous orchestra. It's also said that it was Vogue that launched a typically Rio dish: picadinho. The Russian chef Gregoire Belinzanski, who is said to have introduced beef stroganoff here, adapted the dish so as not to upset stomachs made sensitive by whiskey consumption. So out went the heavy cream and in came farofa and egg, to give it more substance and counteract the effects of alcohol.
The nightclub was destroyed by a massive fire in 1956, a terrible episode that lingered for a long time in the Rio de Janeiro popular imagination.
