Miss Loïe Fuller

Miss Loïe Fuller is a highly dynamic lithograph created by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec in 1893. The work captures the revolutionary American dancer, Loïe Fuller, who was famous in fin-de-siècle Paris for her innovative performances involving voluminous silk costumes illuminated by colored electric lights. Toulouse-Lautrec utilized an experimental technique, employing brush and spatter lithography printed in five distinct colors on wove paper. This method allowed the artist to evoke the ephemeral movement and kinetic energy of Fuller’s performance, transforming her whirling figure into a luminous vortex of light and saturated color on the page.

As a prominent printmaker, Toulouse-Lautrec frequently used the lithographic process to depict the vibrant, sometimes gritty, atmosphere of Montmartre's cabarets and theaters. The depiction of the dancer was central to Lautrec's output during the 1890s, reflecting the era's fascination with modern entertainment and the increasingly visible role of women in the public sphere. Unlike contemporary artists who focused on static forms, Toulouse-Lautrec captured the immediate, kinetic drama of the stage. This print showcases the artist’s unique ability to render complex figures through bold lines and carefully controlled areas of tonal density, emphasizing the interplay of motion and shadow crucial to Fuller's celebrated act.

This significant example of late 19th-century Parisian graphic arts, classified as a print, is permanently housed in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The print exists as the only state, underscoring its unique place in the artist’s body of work. Because of its age and cultural impact, high-quality images of this seminal Toulouse-Lautrec artwork are widely accessible through public domain art initiatives.