Portrait of Aristide Bruant, from Le Café-Concert

Portrait of Aristide Bruant, from Le Café-Concert by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec is a key example of 19th-century French graphic arts, executed in 1893. This classification as a print confirms the pivotal role that lithography played in shaping visual culture during the Belle Époque. The work was printed by Edward Ancourt & Cie and published as part of the influential portfolio L'Estampe originale, a major initiative that helped elevate the status of artistic prints in France.

The subject is the famous chansonnier and satirist Aristide Bruant, a fixture of the Montmartre nightclub scene that Toulouse-Lautrec observed and documented extensively. The artist captures Bruant not performing, but in a penetrating character study defined by his iconic stage attire: a black fedora, a long dark cape, and a vibrant red scarf tied loosely around his neck. Toulouse-Lautrec’s characteristic style emphasizes simplification, using strong contours and bold blocks of color, a technique perfectly suited to the medium of lithograph on ivory wove paper.

This piece transcends mere commercial illustration; it is an intimate and defining portrait that embodies the spirit of bohemian Paris. Toulouse-Lautrec uses the stark contrast between the subject's shadowy presence and the surrounding void to convey the performer's powerful, often intimidating, persona. Unlike the large, colorful posters designed for advertisement, this fine art print allowed the artist to focus on the psychological depth of his sitter. This crucial piece of French cultural history is held in the permanent collection of the Art Institute of Chicago.