The Hairdresser (La coiffure), program for Bankruptcy (Une Faillite) and The poet and the financier (Le Poète et le financier) from The Beraldi Album of Theatre Programs

The Hairdresser (La coiffure), program for Bankruptcy (Une Faillite) and The poet and the financier (Le Poète et le financier) from The Beraldi Album of Theatre Programs by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec is a key example of fin-de-siècle French printmaking. Executed in 1893, this piece is one of fifty distinct lithographs compiled for the Beraldi Album, a collection documenting theatrical and performance arts of the era. The work exemplifies Toulouse-Lautrec’s revolutionary approach to graphic design and his dedication to capturing the vibrant, often scandalous, atmosphere of late 19th-century Parisian life.

Toulouse-Lautrec was arguably the most crucial figure in elevating the status of the commercial print and poster. His rapid production of prints and programs, intended for mass consumption, turned ephemeral material into enduring art forms. The combination of subjects shown here—an intimate scene like the hairdresser alongside programs for specific theatrical performances—underscores the artist’s keen interest in both the public spectacle and the private world of entertainers and their patrons. The programs, Bankruptcy (Une Faillite) and The poet and the financier (Le Poète et le financier), reveal the satirical and often biting humor prevalent in the 1893 French performing arts scene, which the artist chronicled faithfully.

The work's classification as a print confirms the artist's emphasis on sharp lines and dynamic composition, characteristics that distinguish his masterful lithographs. Toulouse-Lautrec’s innovative techniques in this medium helped cement his legacy, influencing generations of graphic artists. As a unified portfolio set, the Beraldi Album prints offer crucial insight into the artist’s prolific output during this pivotal year. This significant piece of French cultural documentation currently resides in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art, New York.