Back Room of a shop in Cracow, from Au Pied du Sinaï

"Back Room of a shop in Cracow, from Au Pied du Sinaï" is a distinctive color lithograph created by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (French, 1864-1901) in 1897. This print is executed on ivory wove paper and reflects the artist’s mature technique in the field of chromolithography, a medium Lautrec utilized extensively to achieve graphic boldness and painterly effects.

The work belongs to the series Au Pied du Sinaï (At the Foot of Sinai), an ambitious project illustrating the text written by Lautrec's friend and political figure, Georges Clemenceau. Clemenceau’s writings detailed his observations of Jewish communities in Central and Eastern Europe, prompting Lautrec to capture scenes beyond the Parisian milieu for which he was best known.

Instead of depicting the glamorous chaos of Montmartre, Lautrec offers an intimate, understated view of daily life within a shop interior in Cracow (Kraków). The composition is defined by sharp lines and simplified planes of color, characteristic of the French Post-Impressionist style prevalent at the close of the 19th century. Lautrec’s skill as a graphic artist is evident in how he uses minimal detail to establish mood and atmosphere, focusing on the human presence and the subdued light filtering into the enclosed space.

As one of France's foremost printmakers, Lautrec played a critical role in elevating the artistic status of the lithographic poster and the fine art print. This poignant example of his late-career prints, reflecting both historical documentation and artistic innovation, is held in the permanent collection of the Art Institute of Chicago. Today, reproductions of such culturally significant works are widely available, allowing these 19th-century prints to be shared and studied through public domain initiatives.