Yvette Guilbert

The print Yvette Guilbert was created by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec in 1894. This sophisticated work, classified as a print, was executed as a lithograph utilizing a striking palette of olive green ink. The choice of medium was deliberate; lithography allowed the artist to quickly and widely disseminate images of Montmartre's vibrant nightlife, contributing significantly to the burgeoning modern commercial poster movement that defined the period between 1876 and 1900.

Toulouse-Lautrec became intimately associated with portraying Guilbert, the celebrated French singer and dancer, documenting her both on stage and in intimate profile throughout the 1890s. Known for her expressive and often exaggerated stage persona, particularly her distinctive long black gloves and sinuous silhouette, Guilbert served as an essential muse chronicling the bohemian theater and cabaret culture of fin-de-siècle Paris. In rendering Yvette Guilbert, Toulouse-Lautrec employed his characteristic economy of line and innovative compositional cropping, prioritizing a sense of psychological insight over minute realism. The restriction of color to the single hue of olive green heightened the dramatic contrast and concentrated the viewer's attention squarely on the figure’s iconic silhouette and dynamic expression, distinguishing this work from contemporary, often overly complex graphic designs.

As a premier chronicler of the era, Toulouse-Lautrec mastered the technical demands of the poster and fine art prints market. This piece exemplifies the vitality and immediacy of late 19th-century French print culture, capturing a moment of performance and celebrity that remains deeply influential. The original work is a key inclusion in the comprehensive collection of the National Gallery of Art, offering scholars and researchers definitive insight into the artist’s commitment to documenting the fleeting, electric energy of modern life.