Invitation Card for Alexandre Natanson

"Invitation Card for Alexandre Natanson" by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec is a distinguished example of French graphic arts produced during the dynamic period of the fin de siècle. Executed in 1895, the work is a lithograph, classifying it as a specialized type of fine print. Toulouse-Lautrec was renowned for elevating commercial and functional prints-making to the level of high art, utilizing the lithographic process to distribute his observations on the vivacious and sometimes decadent social life of late 19th-century Paris.

The year 1895 situates this piece within the Belle Époque, a moment characterized by rapid artistic innovation and profound social change. The subject, Alexandre Natanson, was a prominent figure in French cultural circles, known primarily as one of the founders of the influential art and literary journal, La Revue Blanche. The very function of the piece-a personalized invitation card-underscores Toulouse-Lautrec’s deep integration into the artistic and intellectual elite he frequently portrayed. As a circulated print, the design served both a practical purpose and acted as a subtle artistic statement among leading writers, patrons, and artists of the time.

Toulouse-Lautrec’s characteristic style is evident in the work, employing reductive lines and an economy of detail influenced heavily by Japanese ukiyo-e prints. The composition captures the immediacy of a fleeting moment, a key characteristic of the artist’s approach to depicting modernity. This master print showcases his mastery over the medium, balancing stylistic brevity with compelling psychological depth. This important contribution to the history of French prints is preserved in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), supporting the museum’s comprehensive holdings of graphic works from the 1890s.