Rehearsal at the Folies-Bergère, Emilenne D'Alençon and Mariquita

Rehearsal at the Folies-Bergère, Emilenne D'Alençon and Mariquita is a significant print created by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec French, 1864-1901 in 1893. This classification emphasizes Lautrec’s profound mastery of lithography, a popular and modern classification of prints in Belle Époque France. The specific technique employed here is a lithograph executed with a brown tint stone on cream wove paper, lending the image a warm, sketch-like quality perfectly suited for capturing the quick, intimate moments of theatrical life. Lautrec consistently documented the vibrant nightlife and demanding entertainment culture of fin-de-siècle Paris, making the famous dancers and performers of the Folies-Bergère his frequent subjects.

The work captures two notable figures: Emilenne D'Alençon, a celebrated dancer and demimondaine, and her partner, Mariquita, during a private rehearsal. Unlike the glamorous, polished posters designed for public display, this piece focuses on the backstage reality and the casual, perhaps ungraceful, movements of practice. 1864-1901 was interested in depicting people exactly as he saw them, eschewing societal idealization for direct, truthful observation. The composition of the work is characteristic of the period, reflecting the influence of Japanese ukiyo-e prints through the use of cropped figures and unusual angles, which heighten the immediacy and voyeuristic nature of the scene.

This essential piece of documentation resides in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago. While many of 1864-1901’s celebrated images are now widely accessible as high-quality prints, the original lithograph Rehearsal at the Folies-Bergère, Emilenne D'Alençon and Mariquita preserves the texture and subtlety of the artist's original intention. The piece stands as a crucial document of French social history and the revolutionary application of printmaking techniques in modern art during the late 19th century.