Elles: Woman Carrying a Tray, Mme. Baron and Mlle. Popo

Elles: Woman Carrying a Tray, Mme. Baron and Mlle. Popo is a significant color lithograph created by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec in 1896. This sophisticated print belongs to the artist's celebrated Elles portfolio, a pivotal body of work that documented the private, unromanticized lives of women residing in Parisian brothels during the fin-de-siècle period.

The medium of the color lithograph enabled Toulouse-Lautrec to achieve the spontaneous, sketch-like quality and nuanced color effects that defined his graphic contributions. Unlike many contemporary works that focused on the public spectacle of prostitution, the Elles series provided an empathetic, almost ethnographic study of daily life, emphasizing domestic routine and professional labor.

In this specific composition, the artist captures a quiet moment of focus. A central figure carefully balances a tray, executing a necessary chore, while Mme. Baron and Mlle. Popo, likely two other residents of the maison close, are referenced as part of the specific context. Toulouse-Lautrec often sketched his subjects informally, giving his prints an immediacy that distinguished his vision from his peers. His distinctive style, characterized by cropped compositions and strong reliance on graphic line, profoundly influenced subsequent generations of printmakers and graphic artists in France.

As a foundational figure in Post-Impressionist graphic arts, Toulouse-Lautrec’s work continues to be studied for its technical innovation and its honest portrayal of marginalized urban life. This important piece is classified as a print and resides in the permanent collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.