New Year's Greeting

"New Year's Greeting" is a significant lithograph created by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec French, 1864-1901, dating from 1897. The choice of medium-a lithograph on ivory wove paper-reflects Toulouse-Lautrec's deep commitment to the graphic arts, a field where he found innovative ways to blend high art with commercial design. Executed during the fin-de-siècle explosion of Parisian culture, the work captures the sophisticated, modern spirit of France, where the print medium was essential for rapid aesthetic dissemination. As an acclaimed master of the affiche illustrée (illustrated poster), Lautrec leveraged the distinctive technical qualities of the lithographic process, characterized by nuanced shading and bold lines, to achieve immediate visual impact.

Dating from the latter part of his career, this 1897 print showcases the artist’s characteristic observational style and often intimate approach. Though classified simply as a print, pieces like New Year's Greeting often functioned as specialized, limited-edition communications, reflecting the growing commercial and personal demand for reproducible fine art items among the European elite. Toulouse-Lautrec’s body of work, which frequently documents the vivid, sometimes gritty, figures of Montmartre and the theaters of Paris, provides invaluable historical documentation of late 19th-century society. This lithograph, exemplary of Lautrec's technical skill and cultural relevance, is held in the permanent collection of the Art Institute of Chicago, ensuring its continued study and accessibility through institutions that support public domain initiatives.