Mademoiselle Marcelle Lender, Half-length (Mademoiselle Marcelle Lender, en buste)

Mademoiselle Marcelle Lender, Half-length (Mademoiselle Marcelle Lender, en buste) is a significant lithograph created by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec in 1895. This print exemplifies the artist's dedication to capturing the vibrant and often highly structured world of Parisian entertainment during the late nineteenth century. The half-length portrait focuses entirely on the subject, Marcelle Lender, a celebrated dancer and actress known for her appearances on the French stage, particularly at the Théâtre des Variétés.

Toulouse-Lautrec was a master of the lithographic medium, recognizing its potential for broad distribution and immediate impact. This process allowed these high-quality prints to become accessible to a wider audience, positioning him as a key figure in modern graphic arts. In this particular piece from 1895, he utilizes the sharp contrasts and textural possibilities inherent in the technique to define Lender’s elaborate costume and distinctive expression. His unique draughtsmanship, characterized by swift, economical lines and a flattened perspective, places him firmly within the post-impressionist tradition of French culture.

The work operates both as a documentary record of a specific personality and a compelling piece of portraiture, capturing the highly artificial yet rigorously demanding life of a stage performer during the Belle Époque. Unlike traditional high-society portraiture, the focus is less on idealized beauty and more on psychological resonance and characteristic mannerisms, typical of the artist’s oeuvre documenting the cabarets and theaters of Montmartre. The classification of this image as a print underscores its importance in the history of modern graphic art and Toulouse-Lautrec’s impact on the transition from traditional illustration to art prints. This notable work, Mademoiselle Marcelle Lender, Half-length, is preserved within the collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), contributing to the museum's comprehensive holdings of significant 19th-century French works.