Waking Up, from "Elles"

Waking Up, from "Elles," is a profound crayon lithograph print created by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec in 1896. This specific work is drawn from the artist’s celebrated portfolio "Elles," a series dedicated to providing unusually candid, documentary-style observations of women in private settings, often within brothels or domestic spaces. Toulouse-Lautrec’s technical mastery is evident in the execution, utilizing crayon to create delicate shading and volume, which he then contrasted using a scraper to lift the ink and highlight contours. The piece was printed in a subtle olive-gray on wove paper, lending the image a soft, diffused quality.

The subject matter centers on a woman caught in the vulnerable moment of transition between sleeping and wakefulness. Her body is pressed heavily into the pillows of a large, rumpled bed, her face obscured by shadows and her heavy fringe. The depiction is utterly devoid of romantic or moralizing context, offering a realistic study of a body at rest and the intimate ritual of awakening. Through his focused observation of women and their routines, Toulouse-Lautrec challenged prevailing Victorian ideals, elevating these quiet, unguarded moments to the level of high art. The central role of the bed emphasizes the private and enclosed nature of the scene, a hallmark of the "Elles" portfolio.

As one of the era’s most influential graphic artists, Toulouse-Lautrec’s experiments with lithography fundamentally impacted modern prints. This particular impression of Waking Up resides in the distinguished collection of prints held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Because of its critical role in Post-Impressionist graphic history, the work and related images are often shared widely for educational purposes, with high-quality reproductions frequently entering the public domain.