Elles

Elles is a definitive color lithograph created by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec in 1896. This print series stands as a landmark work in the history of French art, capturing the unvarnished reality of Parisian life during the fin-de-siècle. Utilizing the demanding medium of color lithography, Toulouse-Lautrec produced this collection, which focused on the intimate, often unguarded lives of women working in brothels. Unlike earlier depictions that romanticized or moralized the subject, Lautrec offered a compassionate, observational view, showing the women in private moments of rest, bathing, or daily routine rather than performance.

The challenging technique of the color lithograph allowed Toulouse-Lautrec to achieve the bold outlines and flat areas of color characteristic of his style, a method influenced heavily by Japanese woodblock prints. The artist's distinctive graphic approach conveys an immediacy suited to the raw, fleeting moments he documented in his chosen environment. Toulouse-Lautrec deliberately subverted expectations by presenting these private scenes without judgment, inviting the viewer to consider the daily humanity of the subjects. The entire Elles series is considered a high point of the artist's graphic output and significantly impacted subsequent traditions of modern prints. This specific impression is preserved within the esteemed collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art, where it serves as a powerful example of the graphic revolution in late 19th-century France. The enduring nature of this work, now frequently accessed in the public domain, confirms Toulouse-Lautrec’s status as a master of modern printmaking.