The work Cover, Yvette Guilbert by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec is a masterful example of late 19th-century commercial art, created in 1898. This specific piece is classified as a print, executed as a lithograph on distinctive green-blue paper. The use of this colored stock enhances the atmosphere of the image, characteristic of the innovative printing techniques employed by the artist toward the end of his career. Toulouse-Lautrec specialized in capturing the vibrant, often raw, energy of Parisian nightlife, and the iconic cabaret star Yvette Guilbert was one of his most frequent and celebrated subjects.
The medium of the lithograph allowed Toulouse-Lautrec to produce affordable, widely distributed prints that blurred the lines between high art and advertisement. Created during the dynamic period between 1876 to 1900, this French print exemplifies the Fin de siècle fascination with celebrity and modern urban spectacle. The artist’s style, characterized by exaggerated yet precise contour lines and bold compositional cropping, captures Guilbert's distinctive physical attributes, including her famous, long black gloves and angular, expressive face.
This particular sheet likely served as the cover illustration for a portfolio or promotional materials related to the celebrated performer. Unlike some of the artist's larger, full-color posters, the intimacy and near-monochromatic nature of this lithograph highlight the essential, graphic qualities of Guilbert's unique stage persona. The emphasis here is placed entirely upon the celebrity’s profile, rendered with an economy of line that defines Toulouse-Lautrec’s genius. The popularity of the subject means that related prints of Guilbert are frequently sought after by collectors worldwide. This significant work currently resides in the esteemed collection of the National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C., contributing to the museum's robust holdings of late 19th-century graphic art, much of which is available for study as major art historical documents now entering the public domain.
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