Mademoiselle Marcelle Lender, Standing (Mademoiselle Marcelle Lender, debout)

Mademoiselle Marcelle Lender, Standing (Mademoiselle Marcelle Lender, debout) is a celebrated lithograph created by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec in 1895. This print captures the renowned dancer and actress Marcelle Lender, one of the defining figures of the Parisian stage during the Belle Époque. Toulouse-Lautrec specialized in documenting the vibrant, often raw, world of Montmartre, and his portraits of performers remain among his most iconic works.

The artist’s choice of medium-a lithograph-was crucial to his aesthetic, allowing for rich, flat areas of color and a fluidity of line that mirrored the energy of the dance hall. As a French post-impressionist, Toulouse-Lautrec helped elevate the status of the print, transforming it from merely a reproductive technique into a significant mode of artistic expression. This work exemplifies his unique style, characterized by simplified forms, bold compositional cropping, and a keen, almost journalistic, eye for capturing the character and costume of his subjects. The piece is part of a larger series dedicated to Lender, highlighting her distinctive stage presence.

This piece, classified as a print, offers essential cultural context for the period. Toulouse-Lautrec’s sophisticated understanding of color printing and graphic design influenced the development of modern advertising and poster art, and his prints were widely consumed by the public during his lifetime. Due to the historical nature of the piece from 1895, works of this importance often enter the public domain, allowing institutions worldwide to study the technical innovation of the era. The specific impression of Mademoiselle Marcelle Lender, Standing (Mademoiselle Marcelle Lender, debout) is housed in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), affirming its enduring significance in the canon of late 19th-century French art.