Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec

Sale: Pierre Decourcelle, Paris, 16th June 1926, lot 70
Sale: Eugène Blot, Paris, 2nd June 1933, lot 23
Acquired by the present owner before 1940

Gustave Geffroy, 'Le plaisir à Paris. Les Restaurants et les cafés-concerts des Champs-Élysées', in Figaro illustré, Paris, July 1893, no. 3, illustrated
Maurice Joyant, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, 1864-1901, Dessins-Estampes-Affiches, Paris, 1927, p. 199
Hanspeter Landolt, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Drawings and Sketches in Colour, New York, 1955, illustrated in colour pl. 8 
M. G. Dortu, Toulouse-Lautrec et son œuvre, New York, 1971, vol. III, no. A203, illustrated p. 501

Toulouse-Lautrec was a devoted admirer of Yvette Guilbert from the time of her debut in 1890, when her distinctive vocals and elegant costume earned her a place as one of Montmartre's foremost entertainers. In 1892 he began to include likenesses of her in posters and lithographs. Two years later artist and songstress collaborated to produce an elaborate, limited edition book of lithographs of Guilbert by Lautrec. It was the first example of a publication dedicated to the then unusual subject of an entertainment celebrity.

The long black gloves and V-necked dress were Guilbert's stage trademarks and in this work Lautrec captures her gesture and performance to expressive effect. It is hard to tell whether Guilbert found Lautrec's portrayals of her to be affectionate or not. Judging by their recorded comments they teased each other wildly, and evidently Guilbert complained that he drew her uglier than she was, but it is doubtful she was in reality offended by Lautrec's artistic interpretation of her.