Elles (portfolio cover)

Elles (portfolio cover) is a seminal print created by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec in 1896. This example is the second state of three, designated as the frontispiece edition for the influential Elles portfolio, one of the most celebrated collections of the artist’s graphic works. The work is a masterclass in lithography, utilizing a highly detailed mixture of crayon, brushwork, and spatter techniques to achieve a rich textural surface. It was printed in three colors on wove paper, showcasing Toulouse-Lautrec’s innovative approach to commercial and fine art prints during the Belle Époque.

Toulouse-Lautrec was renowned for documenting the interior lives of women in Parisian brothels and domestic settings, rejecting the idealized or moralistic depictions common in contemporary academic art. This composition, while serving as a cover, hints at the intimate and often unvarnished subjects contained within the subsequent plates of the portfolio. The work focuses on the casual interaction between two women, one elegantly dressed and prominently featuring a characteristic period hat, which served as a visual shorthand for identity and contemporary fashion in the 1890s. The artist’s signature style captures these fleeting, unposed moments of everyday life with raw immediacy, relying on bold contours and dynamic cropping drawn from Japanese woodblock prints.

As a crucial element of the artist's graphic oeuvre, this lithograph underscores Toulouse-Lautrec's significance in elevating the medium of printmaking. He successfully merged commercial illustration techniques with the standards of fine art, ensuring wide distribution and access to his powerful imagery. Its classification confirms the artist's deep commitment to the reproducibility and widespread distribution of his work. This important impression resides within the permanent collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.