The Milliner (La Modiste - Renée Vert)

The Milliner (La Modiste - Renée Vert) is a defining lithograph in gray created by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec in 1893. This print is characteristic of the artist’s commitment to capturing candid moments from the private lives of Parisian workers and entertainers during the late nineteenth century.

As a lithograph, the work demonstrates Toulouse-Lautrec’s technical mastery of the medium. The gray palette, eschewing vibrant color, emphasizes the subtle interplay of light and shadow, relying on delicate variations in line weight to construct form. Renée Vert, the subject, is presented not as a figure of glamour but as a woman absorbed in her professional task. The composition provides an intimate glimpse into the world of millinery, an essential and often demanding craft within the French economy of the 1890s.

Produced during the period spanning 1876 to 1900, this piece exemplifies the cultural shift toward documentation and psychological realism. Toulouse-Lautrec was keenly interested in the social landscape surrounding Montmartre, moving away from idealized academic painting to depict the genuine human condition of the modern city. The visual style, which incorporates simplified forms and bold outlining, owes a debt to both contemporary Japanese prints and the emerging visual language of Art Nouveau.

This important piece of French cultural history is housed within the permanent collection of the National Gallery of Art. Like many of Toulouse-Lautrec’s significant prints, its widespread availability ensures continued scholarship and appreciation of his innovative approaches to graphic art. The work remains a powerful example of the artist's ability to imbue everyday subjects with dignity and depth.