HENRI DE TOULOUSE-LAUTREC (1864-1901) Elles

PROPERTY FROM A PRIVATE COLLECTION, SEATTLE
HENRI DE TOULOUSE-LAUTREC (1864-1901)
Elles
The complete set of 12 lithographs, including the cover and frontispiece
Printed in 1896 by Auguste Clot, Paris
Published by Gustave Pellet, Paris, in an edition of one hundred

Signed 'Lautrec' faintly in pencil by the artist on the inside of the cover (lower left)
Each sheet numbered Serie no 61 and inscribed with the publisher's paraphe (Lugt 1194) in brown ink
On wove paper made for this publication, watermarked with the names of the artist and publisher
The cover on laid Japan paper without watermark (as published)
Sheets and images: 20 1/2 x 15 3/4 in (52.1 x 40 cm) (and similar)
(12)
Provenance
Bruno Cassirer Collection, Berlin.
Wilhelm and Katherine Feldberg Collection, London (acquired from the above in 1928).
Private collection, Seattle (by descent from the above in 1993).
Thence by descent to the present owner.

Literature
L. Delteil, Le Peintre-Graveur Illustré, (XIX ͤ et XX ͤ Siècles), vol. XI, H. de Toulouse-Lautrec, Paris, 1920, nos. 179-189 (another set illustrated).
J. Adhémar, Toulouse-Lautrec, His Complete Lithographs and Drypoints, London, 1965, nos. 200-210 (another set illustrated).
R. Castleman & W. Wittrock (eds.), Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Images of the 1890s, exh. cat., New York, 1985, nos. 139-158 (another set illustrated).
W. Wittrock, Toulouse-Lautrec, The Complete Prints, vol. I, London, 1985, nos. 155-165 (another set illustrated).
G. Adriani, Toulouse-Lautrec, Das Gesamte Graphische Werk, Cologne, 1986, nos. 171-181 (another set illustrated).
P. Gassier, T-Lautrec, exh. cat., Martigny, 1987, nos. 138-150 (another set illustrated).
R. Thomson, 'Images of the maisons closes' in Toulouse-Lautrec, exh. cat., New Haven and London, 1991, nos. 141A-K (another set illustrated).
C. Frèches, A. Roquebert & R. Thomson, Toulouse-Lautrec, exh. cat., Paris, 1992, nos. 141A-K (another set partially illustrated).
P.D. Cate, G.B. Murray & R. Thomson, Prints Abound, Paris in the 1890s, exh. cat., Washington, 2000, nos. 51-55 (another set partially illustrated).
Exh. cat., Toulouse-Lautrec, Woman as Myth, Andros, 2001, nos. 73, 75-85 (another set illustrated).
J. Döring, Toulouse-Lautrec und die Belle Époque, exh. cat., Hamburg, 2002, pp. 186-195 (another set illustrated).
R. Thomson, P.D. Cate & M.W. Chapin, Toulouse-Lautrec and Montmartre, exh. cat., Washington, 2005, nos. 259a-l (another set illustrated).
F. Roos Rosa de Carvalho & M. Vellekoop, Printmaking in Paris, The rage for prints at the fin de siècle, exh. cat., Amsterdam, 2013, nos. 97, 99-102 (another set partially illustrated).
J.A. Clarke (ed.), The Impressionist Line from Degas to Toulouse-Lautrec, Drawings and Prints from the Clark, exh. cat., Williamstown, 2013, pp. 129-131 (another set partially illustrated).
S. Suzuki, The Paris of Toulouse-Lautrec: Prints and Posters, exh. cat., New York, 2014, nos. 49-58 (another set partially illustrated).

"I have tried to do what is true and not ideal."
- Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec's art is often notable for its empathetic look into the margins of society. Indeed, the duality of Toulouse-Lautrec's personal life clearly made a substantial impact on his practice: he was the son of a noble family with access to money and connections that would have placed him at the top of Belle Epoque society, but a genetic disorder worsened by a childhood injury isolated him from participating in the traditional social pursuits of upper-class society. The lifelong struggles that accompanied the artist because of his physical limitations–mockery from others as well as chronic pain–has often been employed to explain why Toulouse-Lautrec actively sought out the company of Paris's underground citizens. According to Edouard Vuillard, "...the real reasons for his behavior were moral ones...Lautrec was too proud to submit to his lot, as a physical freak, an aristocrat cut off from his kind by his grotesque appearance. He found an affinity between his condition and the moral penury of the prostitute" (quoted in T. Donson and M. Griepp, Great Lithographs by Toulouse-Lautrec, New York, 1982, p. 5).

Despite this cynical view of the nature of Toulouse-Lautrec's relationship with sex workers, Elles can be described in many ways save for exploitative; rather it delivers the viewer into the intimate and observant time that Toulouse-Lautrec spent in Parisian brothels of the rue des Moulin, rue d'Amboise, and rue Joubert. Each lithograph depicts the everyday life of a French brothel outside of working hours. The women are seen bathing, lying in bed while speaking to the Madame or a maid, and in the immediate aftermath of a client's visit. The perspective of each sheet, particularly the bathing scenes, is such that the viewer feels as if they are simply a fixture of the room, not an obvious or covetous observer. Even the prints in which the women are partially or fully nude are imbued less with lasciviousness and more with a friendly, warm quality. However, it cannot be argued that Toulouse-Lautrec idealizes the life of a brothel worker. Instead, it is better argued that the candid and intimate exploration of a sex worker's daily life humanizes this group of women.

Part of what makes the Elles suite so significant is that it demonstrates Toulouse-Lautrec's mastery of lithography. The artist's application of the spatter technique, which uses a dusting of ink droplets across the sheet to create variability in the tone of the image, is one of the ways in which he demonstrates his technical excellence in this medium. Additionally, the way in which he darkens the backgrounds of the monochromatic sheets to create depth, juxtaposed against the vibrant, warm colors in other scenes, makes the suite in its entirety a visually captivating masterpiece which easily captures the eye of any viewer. In terms of the artist's personal technique, there is a brushy, sketch-like quality to each image that belies the careful amount of detail that Toulouse-Lautrec chose to include. For example, many of the images extend to the sheet's edge in a way that suspends the viewer's disbelief and makes it seem as if, when looking up, the viewer would be standing in the same room as the model. Additionally, details such as ornate mirrors and clocks, slivers of the clothing worn by male clients, and the sometimes-mischievous look in the eyes of the women give a depth to the lithographs that once again speaks to the intimate community of which Toulouse-Lautrec found himself a participant.

Toulouse-Lautrec's interest in prints as a medium can also be tied to French society's interest in Japanese culture at the time, a phenomenon commonly referred to as japonisme. Ukiyo-e prints, which consisted of genre scenes encompassing everything from folk tales, beautiful women, and erotica, were especially inspirational for 19th Century visual artists. The term Ukiyo-e translates to "floating world," a phrase which was also associated with the pleasure districts of Edo-period Japan. One of the most famous of the artists from this time was Kitagawa Utamaro (circa 1753–1806), who rose to fame with his portraits of women with elegant, elongated figures and disproportionately large heads: "an absolutely new type of female beauty" (Woldemar von Seidlitz quoted in B. Stewart, A Guide to Japanese Prints and Their Subject Matter, New York, 1922, p. 22). Several parallels can be drawn between Elles and Utamaro's prints and paintings dedicated to women in Japanese brothels, also known as green houses. One such print, titled Beauty Likes to Have Fun, depicts a courtesan partially draped in richly patterned robes glancing to the side as if engaged in conversation with someone beyond the picture plane. The facial expression of the model closely resembles that slight smirk of one of Toulouse-Lautrec's models, seen in Femme au plateau, Petit déjeuner, as she lounges in bed, having just finished eating breakfast in bed. There is a flirtatiousness and lightness to both scenes that contradicts the seedy, dark, and occasionally violent imagery that we often associate with brothel scenes.

Paris society's interest in Japanese culture extended far beyond the visual arts, however. Interestingly, one of the most recognizable scenes from Elles is not of a prostitute, but of a popular nightclub dancer and gymnast known as Cha-U Kao. Little is known about Cha-U Kao's early life–even her identity as a Japanese woman is often questioned, especially considering that her name was part of a stage personality that she created. However, it is universally acknowledged that she was one of the greatest performers of the French nightclub circuit, most notably due to her incredible gymnastic talents. In Elles, Cha-U Kao, referred to as The Seated Clowness, is seen in a vulnerable offstage moment in which she looks directly at Toulouse-Lautrec, and consequently, the viewer, with a sad, tired smile on her face.

This was not the first time that Cha-U Kao appeared in Toulouse-Lautrec's works; the bright yellow tutu, matching yellow hair ribbon, and tall hairstyle which constituted her stage presence render her easily recognizable. However, while other depictions appear to be passing moments in which Cha-U Kao stands out as a ray of sunshine in a crowded room, The Seated Clowness introduces a quieter, more peaceful and solemn vision of Cha-U Kao. Here, she is not the sprightly, young, slim gymnast who impresses the crowds with her inconceivable feats. Instead, she is older, tired, and seems to recognize her physical limitations. Again, as before in the bedroom and bathing scenes, Toulouse-Lautrec does not idealize this celebrity of French entertainment, but neither does he mock her with a caricature of her beyond her prime. Instead, the viewer is witness to a moment between two friends, perhaps checking in on one another after a long night.

The present suite of lithographs, including the...