Woman at her Toilette, Washing Herself (Femme qui se lave, La toilette) from Elles

Woman at her Toilette, Washing Herself (Femme qui se lave, La toilette) from Elles is a significant lithograph created by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec in 1896. This evocative work is one of twelve prints that comprise the celebrated portfolio Elles, through which Toulouse-Lautrec documented the private, often unposed, existence of women working in Parisian brothels. Far removed from the public spectacle of dance halls and cabarets for which the artist is most famous, the Elles series offers an intimate, observational viewpoint of domestic labor and self-care.

The piece depicts a woman bending over a basin, absorbed in the simple, repetitive act of washing herself. Toulouse-Lautrec, a master French artist of the late 19th century, was renowned for his ability to portray his subjects without moral commentary or sentimentality. This specific print exemplifies his distinctive handling of the lithographic medium, characterized by fluid lines, controlled use of color, and a tightly focused, often asymmetrical composition. The printmaking technique allowed the artist to render subtle variations in tone, emphasizing the quiet interiority of the moment rather than dramatic narrative. The artist’s style often reflected the strong influence of Japanese ukiyo-e woodblock prints, visible here in the flat planes and sharp contours.

Executed in 1896, the Elles portfolio provided a unique and revolutionary perspective on the lives of working women, moving beyond the idealized, neoclassical depictions common in academic art. Toulouse-Lautrec achieved a level of emotional depth and candid realism rarely seen in contemporary prints, making the body of work a pivotal contribution to the artistic ferment of the French fin-de-siècle period. This important impression of the work is housed in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), recognizing its lasting influence on modern art and the development of graphic arts.