Oscar Wilde and Romain Coolus—Program for Raphaël and Salomé

The influential work, Oscar Wilde and Romain Coolus, Program for Raphaël and Salomé, was created by the French master Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864-1901) in 1896. This piece, classified as a print, is a lithograph executed on tan wove paper. Lautrec, renowned for his innovative use of the poster and print medium, captured the vibrant social and theatrical life of Paris during the Belle Époque. His signature style, characterized by dynamic contour lines and simplified color fields, translates the fast-paced energy of the era onto the paper surface, even in a formal document like a program.

This specific program cover captures the intersection of cutting-edge literature and theater in France at the close of the 19th century. The title's inclusion of Oscar Wilde and Romain Coolus strongly suggests a collaboration or acknowledgment related to a contemporary performance of Salomé. Lautrec frequently collaborated with playwrights and producers, designing programs and advertisements that elevated these ephemeral objects to the status of high art. His extensive output of prints solidified his reputation as a key figure in the development of modern graphic arts.

The original lithograph, Oscar Wilde and Romain Coolus, Program for Raphaël and Salomé, is held in the permanent collection of the Art Institute of Chicago, where it serves as a central reference point for the study of French visual culture from the late 1890s. This work demonstrates the aesthetic quality achieved by the finest examples of period prints, remaining an important historical and artistic document today.