Anna Held, from Treize Lithographies

Anna Held, from Treize Lithographies by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec French, 1864-1901, is a significant example of fin-de-siècle portraiture capturing the fleeting nature of celebrity in turn-of-the-century Paris. Created in 1898, this masterful print utilizes the exacting process of lithography on ivory laid paper, a medium Toulouse-Lautrec championed for its expressive qualities and reproducibility.

The work belongs to the exclusive series Treize Lithographies (Thirteen Lithographs), a highly regarded collection that encapsulates the artist's focus on the performers and recognizable personalities of the city’s vibrant nightlife. The subject, Anna Held (1872-1918), was a Polish stage actress and singer whose glamorous yet often fragile public persona resonated deeply with the spirit of the Belle Époque. She became a major figure both in France and later in America, symbolizing the transnational nature of entertainment at the time.

Lautrec's masterful command of lithography is evident in the dynamic line work and the controlled use of negative space. His distinctive style eschews academic formality, prioritizing immediacy and psychological insight into his sitters, effectively chronicling the cultural landscape of France. This approach solidifies his reputation as a primary innovator in modern prints. The piece illustrates why Toulouse-Lautrec’s observations of modern life remain foundational to graphic arts history.

Classified simply as a print, Anna Held, from Treize Lithographies is an important contribution to the extensive collection of French graphic arts housed at the Art Institute of Chicago. Works such as this, often digitized and available through public domain initiatives, continue to influence artists and researchers globally.