Elles: The Clownesse

Elles: The Clownesse is a notable color lithograph created in 1897 by the influential French artist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864-1901). This specific impression, printed on ivory wove paper, showcases the artist’s acute skill in color lithography, a medium that revolutionized both fine art prints and commercial posters during the late 19th century. The work belongs to the celebrated portfolio Elles, a collection dedicated to providing a candid, unromanticized depiction of the lives of women working in Parisian brothels and performance halls.

Toulouse-Lautrec was intensely focused on capturing the authentic, often melancholy atmosphere of fin-de-siècle Paris, particularly the world of marginalized entertainers and the vibrant night life of France. Although the title designates the subject as a "clownesse," the piece reflects the artist's broader interest in the psychological state of public performers, capturing moments of quiet introspection rather than outward theatricality. The execution of this piece exemplifies the visual language of the period, utilizing bold, flowing outlines and flat areas of color inspired by contemporary Japanese woodblock prints to achieve emotional directness and graphic power.

As one of the key prints from the Elles series, this lithograph is recognized globally for its technical sophistication and sociological honesty, solidifying Toulouse-Lautrec’s reputation as the primary visual chronicler of the Belle Époque. The work is classified as a core example of modern French printmaking and resides in the permanent collection of the Art Institute of Chicago, where it is held as a significant representation of his later graphic output. The high-quality impressions of the Elles portfolio have been widely studied, and today, high-resolution reproductions of this type of major print are often made accessible in the public domain.