The Old Flirts, from Mélodies de Désiré Dihau

The Old Flirts, from Mélodies de Désiré Dihau is a significant lithograph created by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (French, 1864-1901) in 1895. This piece, executed on cream wove paper, exemplifies the artist's mastery of the print medium, which he utilized extensively to capture the fleeting social scenes of fin-de-siècle Paris. The work was published as part of a larger series, Mélodies de Désiré Dihau, an illustrated album commissioned to accompany musical compositions by Désiré Dihau, thereby contributing to the cultural documentation of French song and café society.

Toulouse-Lautrec, known for his incisive observations of bohemian and working-class life, typically focused on the entertainers, marginalized figures, and observers of Parisian nightlife. This particular print, illustrating two figures engaged in a suggestive tête-à-tête, uses the artist's characteristic abbreviated style and strong, often stark, lines to define character and movement. Lautrec's graphic output blurred the lines between high art and commercial illustration, contributing greatly to the rise of modern poster design and cementing his position as a chronicler of France during the late 1800s.

Classified as a fine art print, this impression of The Old Flirts is held in the extensive collection of the Art Institute of Chicago. The work demonstrates the enduring impact of 1864-1901's innovative printmaking on modern art history. As a key document of late 19th-century French culture, the image is frequently studied, and high-quality reproductions of Lautrec's influential prints are often available through institutions participating in public domain initiatives.