Why Not?...Once Is Not a Habit (Pourquoi pas?...Une fois n'est pas coutume)

The work Why Not?...Once Is Not a Habit (Pourquoi pas?...Une fois n'est pas coutume) was created by the celebrated French master Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec in 1893. This piece is a lithograph, executed with technical precision using a distinct olive green ink applied to velin paper. Known primarily for his mastery of graphic arts, Toulouse-Lautrec utilized the lithographic process to capture the immediacy and often fleeting atmosphere of late 19th-century Parisian life.

Dating from the crucial period of 1876 to 1900, the composition reflects Toulouse-Lautrec’s characteristic focus on scenes of modern urban existence and psychological portraiture. He moved beyond the traditional confines of academic art, employing sharp, often unsettling contours, dramatic cropping, and simplified forms inspired by Japanese woodblock prints (Japonisme). The classification of this piece as a fine art print demonstrates the artist's engagement with reproduction techniques, which were instrumental in democratizing art and propelling the medium forward during the Belle Époque.

While the specific subject matter often remains suggestive or ambiguous in Toulouse-Lautrec’s work, the title implies a momentary intimacy or a potentially questionable decision—themes typical of the private, yet publicized, world of the Montmartre cabaret performers and patrons he frequently documented. The use of a monochrome color palette, restricted here to olive green, emphasizes line and shadow, conferring a sense of stark honesty to the depicted scenario.

As a pivotal figure in the development of modern graphic arts, Toulouse-Lautrec’s sophisticated use of the lithograph revolutionized both poster design and fine art prints. This historically important work currently resides in the collection of the National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C., where it serves as a key example of French printmaking from the close of the century. Because the artist’s prolific output is vital to understanding post-Impressionist developments, many of his significant prints, including works similar to Why Not?...Once Is Not a Habit, are widely studied and frequently enter the public domain for educational and reference accessibility.