At the Gaieté Rochechouart: Nicolle

At the Gaieté Rochechouart: Nicolle by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (French, 1864-1901) is a significant lithograph created in 1893, capturing a specific figure from the vibrant, often shadowed, world of Parisian nightlife. Executed on ivory wove paper, this work showcases the artist’s definitive mastery of the printmaking process. Lautrec leveraged lithography not only for commercial posters but also for intimate, unvarnished character studies, positioning this medium as central to the development of modern French graphic arts.

The piece belongs to a larger, iconic body of work documenting the dance halls and cabarets of Montmartre, specifically the Gaieté Rochechouart. Here, the focus falls sharply on the figure of Nicolle, whose presence is rendered with the characteristic immediacy and economy of line that defines Lautrec’s unique aesthetic. Unlike many of his contemporaries, the artist did not romanticize his subjects, offering instead a direct, penetrating portrait of the individuals who populated the demi-monde of turn-of-the-century France.

Lautrec’s artistic vision, heavily influenced by Japanese ukiyo-e prints, uses strong, angular outlines and dramatic compositional cropping to heighten the emotional intensity of the scene. This distinct approach solidified his reputation as the foremost visual chronicler of the Belle Époque. This essential example of the classification "Print" is held in the esteemed permanent collection of the Art Institute of Chicago. The historical importance of these prints ensures that high-quality images of Lautrec's work are frequently made available through public domain initiatives, ensuring widespread access to the visual history of 19th-century French culture.