Miss May Belfort Taking a Bow

"Miss May Belfort Taking a Bow" is a renowned print created by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec in 1895. This lithograph demonstrates the artist's inventive and highly atmospheric approach to graphic arts. The work was achieved using a complex combination of crayon and brush lithography, further manipulated with a scraper to achieve sharp contrasts and nuanced textures. The entire image is rendered in a singular dark olive green ink on wove paper, emphasizing the shadows and intimate atmosphere of the scene.

The work captures the likeness of Irish-born music hall performer May Belfort, a celebrity of the Parisian fin-de-siècle entertainment scene. Belfort was known for her paradoxical stage persona, pairing suggestive lyrics with a distinctly childlike wardrobe often featuring a white dress and large bow. Toulouse-Lautrec, an astute chronicler of café-concerts and theatrical life, frequently documented the women who dominated the stages of Montmartre. This intimate depiction shows Belfort curtseying to an unseen audience, capturing the fleeting moment of performance and the subtle artifice inherent in public life.

Toulouse-Lautrec excelled at conveying the psychological depth of his subjects through simplified yet expressive lines. As an "only state" print, this piece offers a definitive glimpse into the final execution of the artist's vision for this performance portrait. The lithograph stands as a vital example of the artist’s innovative contributions to modern prints and serves as a key representation of turn-of-the-century women performers. This important work is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.