Frontispiece for "Elles"

Frontispiece for "Elles" is a significant color lithograph on thin wove paper, created in 1896 by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec in collaboration with the esteemed master printer Auguste Clot. Classified as a Print, this work is the introductory image for Lautrec's famous portfolio, Elles, a collection of ten lithographs focused intimately on the lives of women in Parisian brothels during the late French 19th century.

This piece stands as a crucial example of French graphic art produced during the period 1876 to 1900, when printmaking began challenging traditional fine art hierarchies. Lautrec, renowned for his unflinching gaze into the often-hidden world of Montmartre, utilized the lithographic medium to achieve fluid lines and subtle gradations of color, lending a sensitive, non-sensationalized quality to his subjects.

The collaborative element between artist and artisan was essential. While Lautrec developed the original drawings and concepts, Clot’s technical expertise ensured the complex registration and rich color palette necessary for the ambitious project. The final prints achieved a painterly effect rarely seen in graphic art of the time, positioning Lautrec as a central figure in the post-impressionist print movement.

The artwork captures the Fin de Siècle fascination with contemporary life and serves as a powerful artistic document of the era. This edition resides in the permanent collection of the National Gallery of Art, where it helps illustrate Lautrec’s mastery of the medium. The prominence of this historical work in major museum collections ensures its ongoing legacy, and high-quality records of these seminal prints are often made available through public domain initiatives.