In 1867 he invented pari-mutuel betting and patented it in his name, at a time when neither the racecourses nor the law wanted it. He then applied the same feel for the public to entertainment: the Moulin Rouge, the Olympia. His stone names none of these halls: one reads there that his intelligence equalled his heart.
The story
Joseph Oller was born in Spain on 10 February 1839. In 1867 he set up the pari-mutuel — the principle by which the whole pot is shared out among the winners — and patented it in his own name. The racecourses did not want it; nor, at first, did the law.
He turned to entertainment and applied the same feel for a crowd. The Nouveau Cirque, the Rochechouart swimming baths, the Jardin de Paris, the Nouveautés: he set them up, opened them, sold them on, and began again.
In 1889, with Charles Zidler, he founded the Moulin Rouge. The naturalist quadrille, the Toulouse-Lautrec posters, Jane Avril and La Goulue: the Paris music hall was invented there, and he kept the till.
In 1893 he opened the Olympia, on the boulevard des Capucines — the hall Bruno Coquatrix would raise from the dead sixty years later. Then the Casino de Paris. No one man shaped the Paris night more.
He died on 19 April 1922 and lies in Division 2, close by the entrance. The stone names none of his halls: it says only that his intelligence was the equal of his heart.
The grave
A plain stele, a stone's throw from the cemetery entrance, whose inscription follows an unexpected order: “Sépulture Joseph Oller”, then the dates — “10 février 1839 – 20 avril 1922” — and to finish a phrase from a loved one: “His intelligence equalled his heart.” Neither the Moulin Rouge, nor the Olympia, nor pari-mutuel betting. The man who created the most famous halls in Paris rests beneath a private compliment.
On site, do not miss
The last line of the stele — “His intelligence equalled his heart” — on the grave of the founder of the Moulin Rouge.
Visitors' questions
Where is Joseph Oller's grave?
In Division 2, avenue du Boulevard, second row, a few steps from the boulevard de Ménilmontant entrance: it is one of the first graves on the route. The stele is plain and names none of his venues.
Jane AvrilDid he really invent pari-mutuel betting?
Yes, in 1867, and he patented it in his own name: the principle of sharing the stakes among the winners is his. The authorities prosecuted him before the system became the rule at the racecourse.
Henri CernuschiWhich venues did he create?
The Moulin Rouge in 1889 with Charles Zidler, the Olympia in 1893, but also the Moulin de la Galette, the Jardin de Paris, the Nouveautés and the Casino de Paris. No man did more to shape Paris by night.
Bruno CoquatrixWhat is carved on his grave?
“Sépulture Joseph Oller”, his two dates, and a line from someone close to him: “Son intelligence égalait son cœur” — his mind was the equal of his heart. Neither the Moulin Rouge, nor the Olympia, nor pari-mutuel betting appears — only this private compliment.
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