Yvette Guilbert, from Le Café-Concert

Yvette Guilbert, from Le Café-Concert is a defining 1893 lithograph by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. This influential print, created on cream wove paper, captures the raw vitality of fin-de-siècle Parisian nightlife in France. The work was expertly printed by Edward Ancourt & Cie and published by the pioneering collective L'Estampe originale, demonstrating the high artistic seriousness afforded to the print medium during this period.

Toulouse-Lautrec focused his career on documenting the celebrities and demimonde of Montmartre, and here he turns his attention to Yvette Guilbert, one of the era’s most recognizable cabaret singers. Known for her expressive, often cynical stage delivery and signature long black gloves, Guilbert embodied the complex allure of the café-concert culture. Toulouse-Lautrec was fascinated by her distinctive visual persona and created numerous portraits of her, emphasizing her gaunt profile and dramatic gestures.

This piece exemplifies the bold, reductive style Toulouse-Lautrec developed through his mastery of lithograph prints. The composition utilizes sharp outlines and minimal, flat areas of tone to focus attention entirely on the performer's characteristic silhouette and exaggerated features. This deliberate use of the medium elevates commercial illustration to the level of high art. As a key example of 19th-century French graphic output, the print resides within the distinguished collection of the Art Institute of Chicago, offering scholars and the public crucial insight into Parisian visual culture. Given its age and iconic status, high-quality images of this print are often available within the public domain.