At the Ambassadeurs (Aux Ambassadeurs)

At the Ambassadeurs (Aux Ambassadeurs) is a seminal color lithograph created by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec in 1894. This highly detailed print, executed on wove paper, captures the vibrant, electric atmosphere that defined the Parisian Belle Époque. As one of the preeminent artists documenting fin-de-siècle French society, Toulouse-Lautrec mastered the relatively new commercial medium of color lithography, utilizing it to produce editions and posters that merged sophisticated draftsmanship with modern advertising techniques. The period spanning 1876 to 1900 was a crucial era for the development of graphic arts, and this work exemplifies the innovative application of printing techniques during that pivotal time.

The subject of the work depicts a scene from the famed Café des Ambassadeurs, a popular outdoor concert venue on the Champs-Élysées known for its glamorous patrons and celebrated performers. Toulouse-Lautrec immersed himself in the world of cabarets and concert halls, focusing his keen eye on the idiosyncratic behaviors and defining features of both performers and the audience. His unique style, characterized by flat planes, dynamic outlines, and expressive color registration, demonstrates the influence of Japanese woodblock prints popular among French artists.

This piece stands as a significant example of late 19th-century prints and demonstrates Toulouse-Lautrec’s influential role in elevating poster art to fine art status. The immediacy and expressiveness achieved through the lithographic process secured his reputation as a master draftsman whose work captured the essence of urban entertainment. Like many important graphic works, this image has been widely studied, and high-quality impressions of the art have entered the public domain. This particular impression of Aux Ambassadeurs resides within the distinguished collection of the National Gallery of Art, offering historians and enthusiasts a key insight into the artist’s prolific output during the 1890s.