Frontispiece - Yvette Guilbert before the Prompter's Box

Frontispiece - Yvette Guilbert before the Prompter's Box is a lithograph on laid paper created by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec in 1898. This print captures one of the most celebrated figures of the Parisian fin-de-siècle: the cabaret singer and stage personality Yvette Guilbert, recognizable by her signature black gloves and theatrical persona. Toulouse-Lautrec, known for his keen observations of modern life, utilized the medium of lithography to document the ephemeral glamour and sometimes harsh realities of the era’s nightlife.

In this work, Guilbert is depicted in a moment of anticipation, poised near the small, dark opening of the prompter's box. The arrangement highlights the unique energy of the stage and the centrality of women in the performance arts. Toulouse-Lautrec employs an expressive brevity, using rapid, defining lines characteristic of his style. Unlike his large color posters, this piece relies on the striking contrast afforded by the black ink on paper, emphasizing silhouette and the dancer’s highly stylized posture. The composition focuses on capturing the psychological intensity of the celebrity subject rather than detailed ornamentation.

Toulouse-Lautrec created numerous depictions of Guilbert, establishing her image as an icon of the era, and cementing his own reputation as the essential chronicler of cafe-concert life. This focus on performance and portraiture solidified his contributions to modern prints. This highly regarded example of the artist’s mature work resides within the distinguished collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it serves as a crucial document of turn-of-the-century French culture, now accessible to the public domain for study and appreciation.