An Old Song, plate five from Yvette Guilbert

An Old Song, plate five from Yvette Guilbert by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec is a significant lithograph dating from 1898. This celebrated print belongs to a series dedicated to the famous French cabaret star Yvette Guilbert, a figure central to Toulouse-Lautrec’s chronicling of Parisian nightlife. The series was printed by Westminster Press and published commercially by Ernest Brown & Phillips, demonstrating the crossover between fine art and commercial printing prevalent at the time.

The work was executed in olive-green ink on cream wove paper. Toulouse-Lautrec employed the nuanced lithographic technique, utilizing both crayon for broad tonal areas and a scraper to incise sharp white highlights and lines into the surface. This manipulation of the medium creates a dynamic contrast and depth crucial to the artist’s characteristic dramatic effects, capturing the immediacy of Guilbert’s performance. This graphic mastery cemented Toulouse-Lautrec’s reputation as a leading figure in the burgeoning poster and print culture of fin-de-siècle France.

This piece, classified as a historical print, captures the essence of French cultural life toward the end of the 19th century. The careful detailing of the medium-specific techniques makes it an essential study for the history of graphic arts. Today, this masterwork is housed within the esteemed collection of the Art Institute of Chicago. Its age and importance ensure that high-resolution images of these foundational prints are frequently available for scholarship through public domain resources, aiding the study of the influential career of Toulouse-Lautrec.