Woman in Bed, Profile, Getting Up, plate eight from Elles

Woman in Bed, Profile, Getting Up, plate eight from Elles is a landmark color lithograph created in 1896 by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, defining the artist’s unflinching portrayal of Parisian Fin de siècle life. Printed on ivory wove paper, this intimate work belongs to the highly acclaimed portfolio Elles, a series dedicated to depicting the daily existence of the women who lived and worked in the capital’s regulated brothels.

The portfolio was published by Gustave Pellet and likely printed by Auguste Clot, a collaboration that ensured the exceptional quality of these complex prints. Toulouse-Lautrec employed the innovative medium of color lithography, using loose, expressive lines and subtle hues to capture the raw, unposed subject matter. In this specific plate, the viewer is presented with a private, fleeting moment as the woman pushes herself up from the tousled sheets. Her profile view emphasizes the observational nature of the work, portraying the figure as a real person engaged in a mundane act rather than an object of idealized or sensationalized attention.

Toulouse-Lautrec’s unique approach revolutionized printmaking in France and offered a powerful, empathetic counter-narrative to traditional genre scenes. By focusing on the candid details of dressing, sleeping, and waking, he elevated the status of these individuals in art.

As a crucial example of the artist’s graphic mastery and contribution to modern art, this print is preserved in the permanent collection of the Art Institute of Chicago. The lasting importance of this work ensures that these historic prints are highly valued and frequently analyzed today, with many high-resolution reproductions available through public domain initiatives.