Ducarre at the Ambassadeurs (Ducarre aux Ambassadeurs) from Le Café Concert

Ducarre at the Ambassadeurs (Ducarre aux Ambassadeurs) from Le Café Concert by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec is a powerful example of the artist's lithographic work from 1893, capturing the spirit and energy of Parisian nightlife during the fin-de-siècle. This piece is one of twenty-three prints comprising the portfolio Le Café Concert, which documents the popular entertainment venues and performers of the era. Produced as part of a series intended for publication, the work is classified as an illustrated book component, underscoring its role in disseminating Toulouse-Lautrec’s observations of modern French culture.

Toulouse-Lautrec employed the medium of lithography, valued for its graphic quality and suitability for mass production, to render his subjects with immediacy and expressive line work. The piece focuses on the performer Ducarre, captured likely mid-act at the famed Ambassadeurs café-concert. These venues were central to the social life of 1893 Paris, attracting a diverse crowd eager for musical and comedic entertainment. The artist’s composition often employs sharp cropping and dynamic angles, techniques influenced by photography and Japanese prints, enhancing the feeling of a fleeting, candid moment.

The resulting image is not merely a portrait but a visual commentary on the relationship between performer and audience in the burgeoning entertainment industry. Toulouse-Lautrec's command of the print medium allowed him to achieve rich textural variation, emphasizing the dark, atmospheric quality of the theater interior. This documentation of the Parisian public sphere cemented the artist's reputation as the primary chronicler of his time. This significant work, providing essential insight into turn-of-the-century French society, resides in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art, contributing to MoMA's comprehensive holding of historical prints and illustrated books.