Yvette Guilbert-English Series: Soularde

The lithograph Yvette Guilbert-English Series: Soularde by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, created in 1898, belongs to a specific body of work focusing on the celebrated Parisian entertainer. Executed using the lithographic printmaking technique, this image was created late in the artist’s career and was classified as a Book illustration, indicating its original purpose as part of a published series, likely intended for distribution in England.

The esteemed French artist Toulouse-Lautrec was renowned for documenting the dynamic theatrical and nocturnal culture of fin-de-siècle Paris. He was captivated by the cabaret singer Yvette Guilbert, portraying her many times throughout his career, often focusing on her distinctive black elbow-length gloves and dramatic expressions. This particular image, titled Soularde (a French term roughly meaning "drunkard"), captures the performer in a candid, perhaps exaggerated moment away from the stage lights.

Toulouse-Lautrec’s mastery of line and composition allowed him to distill the essence of his subjects into powerful, simplified forms, deeply influencing the history of modern graphic design and advertising in France. The raw immediacy characteristic of his prints elevates his celebrity portraits beyond mere illustration into insightful character studies. This significant work is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art, representing the artist’s mature output in the field of prints. As this artwork is a late 19th-century creation, many related pieces from this era are now found within the public domain, making high-quality art prints and reference images widely available for scholarly study.