Yvette Guilbert-French Series: No. 5

Yvette Guilbert-French Series: No. 5 is a significant lithograph created by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec in 1894. This highly sought-after print belongs to a planned portfolio centered entirely on the celebrated French chanson singer and music hall star, Yvette Guilbert (1865-1944). Classified by the museum as a Book element, this work reflects the artist's dedication to portraiture intended for mass distribution during the fin-de-siècle period in France.

Toulouse-Lautrec was deeply integrated into the cultural milieu of Montmartre, and his prolific output of prints captured the era's famous entertainers with an unflinching psychological depth. Guilbert, known for her striking stage persona, long black gloves, and unique singing style, became one of his most frequently depicted muses. In this specific image, Toulouse-Lautrec utilizes the distinctive properties of the lithograph medium to emphasize bold contours and essential characteristics, focusing less on decorative detail and more on the figure’s commanding presence.

The creation of such prints allowed the visual culture of late nineteenth-century France to reach a broad audience, transforming celebrities like Guilbert into modern icons. The artist's distinctive style, heavily influenced by Japanese ukiyo-e prints, is evident in the simplified composition and dynamic use of line. This impression of Yvette Guilbert-French Series: No. 5 is an important example of the graphic work produced by Toulouse-Lautrec and is housed in the distinguished collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. High-quality prints of such works from this era are frequently made available to the public domain, ensuring the widespread study of this master of poster design and artistic prints.