Woman Combing Her Hair—La Coiffure, plate seven from Elles

Woman Combing Her Hair—La Coiffure, plate seven from Elles, is a masterful color lithograph created by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec in 1896. This exquisite print, executed on ivory wove paper, demonstrates the artist's dedication to the graphic arts during the height of the French fin de siècle. The work was published by Gustave Pellet and was likely printed by Auguste Clot, a renowned figure in Parisian lithography circles. The medium of color lithography allowed Toulouse-Lautrec to apply broad, flat areas of color and subtle textures, reflecting the influence of Japanese woodblock prints (Japonisme) on his technique.

The Elles series focused on intimate, unidealized depictions of women, providing a starkly honest contrast to the sanitized academic nudes of the period. In Woman Combing Her Hair, Toulouse-Lautrec captures a subject in a private, unguarded moment, focusing intently on the routine act of self-grooming. The figure is viewed from an observational perspective, emphasizing her concentration and the quiet domesticity of the scene rather than sensationalizing her profession. Lautrec eschews detail for bold contours and simplified planes of color, creating a powerful image of solitude and inner life.

This piece is considered one of the most iconic works from the Elles portfolio and exemplifies Toulouse-Lautrec's role in advancing modern prints as a serious artistic medium. It remains a key artifact documenting Parisian culture and the Post-Impressionist movement in France during the 1890s. This original impression is classified as a print and resides in the permanent collection of the Art Institute of Chicago, offering scholars and the public access to a seminal work by this foundational figure of modern art.