Tristan Bernard

The print Tristan Bernard by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec French, 1864-1901, is an intimate portrait capturing the noted French playwright and novelist in 1898. Executed as a drypoint from a zinc plate, this print showcases Lautrec’s refined mastery of intaglio techniques, producing delicate lines characteristic of the drypoint needle. The artist utilized an unusual, muted palette, pressing the image in olive green ink onto cream laid paper, lending the portrait a refined, atmospheric quality that typifies the visual culture of fin-de-siècle France.

The subject, Tristan Bernard (1866-1947), was a popular and important figure in Parisian literary and theatrical circles, whose sophisticated humor resonated with Lautrec’s own observations of modern life. Unlike his dramatic depictions of dancers and cabaret figures, Lautrec's approach here focuses on the sitter's intellectual presence and quiet dignity. This work represents the artist’s sustained commitment to printmaking as a primary medium for portraiture during the last years of his life. Lautrec utilized the commercial accessibility of prints to widely distribute his observations of society, contributing significantly to the popularization of the classification. This specific impression is housed in the permanent collection of the Art Institute of Chicago, offering scholars and art lovers direct access to this masterwork. Many of Lautrec’s celebrated pieces are now available through initiatives that place historically significant prints into the public domain.