Seated Female Clown (Mademoiselle Cha-U-Kao), plate one from Elles

Seated Female Clown (Mademoiselle Cha-U-Kao), plate one from Elles is a highly significant color lithograph created in 1896 by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. This print initiated the series Elles, a remarkable portfolio intended to depict the lives of women in fin-de-siècle Paris, particularly those associated with brothels and performance venues. The piece was published by Gustave Pellet and was likely printed by the expert chromiste Auguste Clot, demonstrating the sophisticated level of collaborative graphic arts production in France during this era.

The subject is Mademoiselle Cha-U-Kao, a popular dancer and clown at the Moulin Rouge. Toulouse-Lautrec captures her in a moment of private reflection, stripped of the energy of the stage. She is depicted seated, presumably either preparing for or recovering from a performance, evidenced by the partially visible professional attire and the concentrated, solitary pose. The artist utilizes a restricted, subtle color palette common throughout the Elles series, focusing on nuanced texture and expressive line work rather than the bold, flat colors found in his famous theatrical posters.

Toulouse-Lautrec’s mastery of the lithographic process allowed him to create an image that functions as both a genre scene and a psychological study. The piece illuminates the intimate, often unseen, aspects of the subjects he chose to chronicle. This impression, a core example of 19th-century French prints, resides in the permanent collection of the Art Institute of Chicago, where it serves as a foundational example of the artist’s commitment to documenting modern Parisian life.