Plate 14 (in-text plate, folio 17) from Yvette Guilbert

Plate 14 (in-text plate, folio 17) from Yvette Guilbert by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec is a key component of the artist’s celebrated illustrated book dedicated to the iconic Parisian cabaret singer. Executed in 1894, this piece is one of seventeen lithographs compiled within the volume, meticulously designed to capture the performer’s dynamic stage presence and idiosyncratic visual profile.

This work exemplifies Toulouse-Lautrec’s mastery of the lithographic medium, a technique he favored for its capacity for immediate expression and reproduction, resulting in numerous widely circulated prints. Unlike his famous, colorful posters, the plates in the book series focus on starker black and white contrasts and economical draftsmanship. The French artist employs sharp, illustrative lines, capturing a moment often characterized by rapid, almost caricature-like movement, consistent with his overall depiction of fin-de-siècle nightlife.

The collaboration documented in Yvette Guilbert was significant, placing the renowned singer at the center of a graphic arts project. Toulouse-Lautrec approached his subject not merely as a portraitist but as a visual chronicler, transforming Guilbert’s signature elements—her long black gloves and exaggerated gestures—into graphic symbols recognizable throughout Paris in 1894. Created during a period of intense artistic experimentation, the publication cemented Toulouse-Lautrec’s reputation as a defining observer of modern, urban culture. The entire volume is classified as an illustrated book, demonstrating the fusion of text and image typical of innovative publishing projects of the time. This particular impression of the work is housed in the distinguished collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). The accessibility inherent in the print medium means that many images from the series, now considered artistic landmarks, frequently enter the public domain, promoting wider study of this pivotal figure in late nineteenth-century art.