Mademoiselle Lender and Baron

Mademoiselle Lender and Baron is a seminal print created by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec in 1893. This characteristic depiction of interaction between a man and a woman exemplifies the artist's focus on candid Parisian scenes during the fin de siècle. The work employs the highly controlled technique of crayon, brush, and spatter lithography, printed in a distinct sanguine (red chalk-like) ink on wove paper, representing the only state produced.

Toulouse-Lautrec was instrumental in elevating the status of the lithograph from commercial medium to high art. His pioneering use of spatter, a technique achieved by flicking ink onto the stone or plate, combined with loose crayon and brushwork, gives the piece a textural and immediate quality. Unlike some of his highly publicized, multicolored posters, the monochromatic approach in this lithograph focuses the viewer's attention purely on the observational details of the subjects and the intimate atmosphere they share.

The subject matter, often drawn from the opera houses, cafés, and private interactions of the Parisian demimonde, includes the figures identified as Mademoiselle Lender and an accompanying Baron. These candid portrayals of specific men and women defined Toulouse-Lautrec's unique contribution to the history of modern art. As a masterwork of 19th-century French prints, this important impression is part of the extensive collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Because of its historical value and the artist's stature, this image is frequently referenced in scholarship and is often accessed through public domain resources globally.