The Menu Card for Adrien Hébrard is an exquisite example of graphic design created in 1894 by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec French, 1864-1901. Executed as a nuanced lithograph on cream wove paper, this ephemeral piece exemplifies the versatility and mastery 1864-1901 brought to the commercial and decorative arts in late 19th-century Paris.
Toulouse-Lautrec was a prolific master of the poster and the affiche, using the print medium to redefine the boundaries between high art and advertising. This particular work, though small and functional in its original intent, features the artist's characteristic economical approach: rapid, dynamic line work combined with subtle tonal shifts inherent to the lithographic process. The rendering style, influenced profoundly by Japanese woodblock prints, allowed Lautrec to capture the energy and personalities of figures and details associated with the fashionable society of the Belle Époque.
The creation of such high-quality prints for private or celebratory events, such as this menu card, documents the sophisticated social life prevalent in France during this period. Lautrec’s ability to infuse even the smallest assignment with undeniable artistic personality solidifies his place among the great Post-Impressionist graphic artists. Although originally a functional object, the work today is classified as an important historical Print and resides in the distinguished permanent collection of the Art Institute of Chicago.
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