The Little Errand Girl

The Little Errand Girl by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864-1901) is a significant lithograph created in 1893. This piece exemplifies the French artist’s dedicated effort to chronicle the intimate, often unglamorous, street life and characters of late 19th-century Paris. Executed using lithography on cream wove paper, the work captures a solitary figure—a young woman in service—characteristic of the everyday observations Lautrec made during this period.

As a master of graphic arts, Toulouse-Lautrec utilized the lithograph technique extensively, appreciating its capacity for immediate expression and the rapid production of prints. The style here is quick and sketch-like, reflecting the influence of Japanese ukiyo-e woodblock prints, which favored simple outlines and unconventional cropping. The subject, the eponymous errand girl, is rendered with an immediacy that lends dignity and stark realism to her usually ignored role within the bustling urban environment. Toulouse-Lautrec often concentrated on the working class and marginalized women, providing an unflinching documentary record of the city’s social fabric.

Created during a pivotal decade in modern French art, the work is part of a substantial body of prints that solidified Toulouse-Lautrec’s reputation not only as a painter but also as an innovative graphic designer and poster artist. The lasting influence of this French master is recognized globally, and his contribution helped elevate the status of the print medium. This important piece is held in the permanent collection of the Art Institute of Chicago, making a key example of the artist’s graphic oeuvre available to scholars. Works such as this often enter the public domain after copyright expiration, allowing for widespread dissemination and continued study of the master’s technique.