Description
From a Vintage Lithograph
ELLES
Lithographies éditées par G. Pellet
9, Quai Voltaire à Paris
Exposées à la PLUME
31, Rue Bonaparte, à partir du Avril 22, 1896
This is a reproduction of a poster advertising the exhibition of the famous 1896 print series, Elles, by the French artist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. The series itself is an intimate and sympathetic portrayal of the daily lives of prostitutes in Parisian brothels, where the artist often lived for periods of time.
Artwork Information
Artist: Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864–1901)
Title: Elles (meaning "They" or "Them" in the feminine form in French)
Date: 1896
Medium: Crayon, brush, and spatter lithograph printed in four colors
Publisher/Printer: Gustave Pellet, Paris
Exhibition: The poster advertises the exhibition of these lithographs at the gallery "La Plume" starting April 22, 1896.
Context and Significance
The series was a commercial failure at the time because it challenged expectations of eroticism, instead presenting unglamorous, private moments of the women's lives, such as bathing, sleeping, or preparing for clients. The only indication of the woman's profession in the image is a man's top hat resting on the clotheshorse in the foreground. Lautrec portrayed his subjects with empathy and respect, which was considered scandalous and immoral by some at the time.
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ELLES
Lithographies éditées par G. Pellet
9, Quai Voltaire à Paris
Exposées à la PLUME
31, Rue Bonaparte, à partir du Avril 22, 1896
This is a reproduction of a poster advertising the exhibition of the famous 1896 print series, Elles, by the French artist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. The series itself is an intimate and sympathetic portrayal of the daily lives of prostitutes in Parisian brothels, where the artist often lived for periods of time.
Artwork Information
Artist: Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864–1901)
Title: Elles (meaning "They" or "Them" in the feminine form in French)
Date: 1896
Medium: Crayon, brush, and spatter lithograph printed in four colors
Publisher/Printer: Gustave Pellet, Paris
Exhibition: The poster advertises the exhibition of these lithographs at the gallery "La Plume" starting April 22, 1896.
Context and Significance
The series was a commercial failure at the time because it challenged expectations of eroticism, instead presenting unglamorous, private moments of the women's lives, such as bathing, sleeping, or preparing for clients. The only indication of the woman's profession in the image is a man's top hat resting on the clotheshorse in the foreground. Lautrec portrayed his subjects with empathy and respect, which was considered scandalous and immoral by some at the time.
