Your Mouth (from Les Vieilles Histoires)

Your Mouth (from Les Vieilles Histoires) by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, executed in 1893, is an intimate lithograph that showcases the artist’s mastery of graphic media. Classified purely as a print, this work exists as a single state, rendered expertly in olive-green ink upon delicate japan paper. This focused choice of medium highlights the texture and subtle tonal variations that Toulouse-Lautrec could achieve, even with a limited palette.

The piece is a striking example of the artist's observation of private moments. The subject matter centers on one of the men the artist depicted throughout his career, captured here in a state of rest. The tag "Sleeping" is central, yet the title draws specific attention to the relaxed, slightly open mouth of the subject. This intense, almost voyeuristic focus on a mundane or vulnerable bodily detail exemplifies the candid, unromanticized view of human life that defined Toulouse-Lautrec's oeuvre in fin-de-siècle Paris.

The creation of such fine art prints allowed for wider dissemination, establishing Toulouse-Lautrec as a pioneer in modern graphic arts alongside his more famous poster designs. His work frequently documented the inhabitants of Parisian society, often capturing the figures who existed on the fringes or within the intimate confines of domestic life. This printmaking technique ensured that works like this were widely studied; today, as this piece falls within the public domain, it remains an accessible and crucial reference for students and historians alike. This important example of the artist's printmaking is held in the comprehensive collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art.