← Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec

Elles (portfolio cover) (1896, Met-Objekt 831)

Original title: Elles (portfolio cover)

Artist

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec

Date

1896

Medium

Crayon, brush and spatter lithograph printed in brown-black on laid japan paper, folded in outer margins and center to make cover; first of three states

Dimensions

Sheet: 26 3/4 x 43 5/16 in. (68 x 110 cm) Image: 22 9/16 × 18 7/16 in. (57.3 × 46.8 cm)

Credit line

Alfred Stieglitz Collection, 1949

kurzbeschreibung

Unlike related prints from the same series, this 1896 lithograph by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec serves as the cover for the portfolio Elles. He drew it using crayon, brush, and spatter techniques, and it was printed in brown-black on Japan paper. The image features an elegantly dressed woman in the foreground and, behind her, a seated figure wearing a top hat.

Description

In front stands a woman in a long, elegant dress with notably wide sleeves; a head covering obscures part of her face. She looks to the left. Behind her sits a person in a top hat, gazing up at the standing woman. The layout remains simple, with soft brushstrokes that make the figures stand out clearly. Brown tones dominate the color palette, achieved through the interplay of crayon, brush, and spatter. Diffused light gives the print a calm, intimate mood.

Context

In 1896, Toulouse-Lautrec assembled the lithographic series Elles, which deals with the lives of women in Parisian brothels. The cover exists in three states; this first one was printed on Japan paper, with folded margins and a center fold. The portfolio was issued in an edition of 100 copies and catered to a bourgeois audience interested in fashionable nightlife. Typical of Lautrec's later work is the sober, respectful observation of the women.

Impact

Understated yet elegant, the print conveys this through its restrained palette and serene arrangement. The fact that the woman's face remains partly hidden creates distance and lends the scene an air of mystery. Realistic depiction and stylized Art Nouveau elements blend into a mix that makes this sheet a characteristic example of Lautrec's printmaking.

Technique

For this print, the lithograph was drawn on the stone with crayon, brush, and spatter techniques, then pulled in brown-black on Japan paper. The spatter technique produces fine, grainy textures, while the brush allows soft transitions. The large-format sheet (68 x 110 cm) was folded at the edges and in the center, as was customary for portfolio covers of the time.

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Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)