Description:This classically simple poster created by Toulouse-Lautrec is shrouded with both mystery and intrigue, attracting it viewers and arousing our curiosity. The expressive writing and vintage colors adds to the poster's own ability to promote spectacle and showmanship.
Originally created in 1893, this poster is from the Wittrock state C impression, featuring text in olive-green and classified as "uncommon." Featuring Toulouse-Lautrec's signature monogram stamp in the lower right, this piece was printed by Chaix (Atelier Chéret) , Paris and commissioned by Aristide Bruant himself.
Toulouse-Lautrec created this poster featuring the singer and entertainer Aristide Bruant at his cabaret named Le Mirliton in Paris. Fascinated with the stage, he positions Bruant with his back facing the audience, inspiring our curiosity and leaving us wanting more. His classic hat, waistcoat, and signature boots all signify Bruant's costume on the exciting stage of the cabarets throughout Paris during the late 19th century. Known to have been a wildly popular performer and entertainer during the time, this poster heralds the newly printed second volume of Bruant's songs (the first volume sharing the same cover, originally printed in 1893) which was advertised in Bruant's magazine Le Mirliton on 15 November 1894.
Catalogue Raisonné & COA:
It is fully documented and referenced in (copies will be enclosed as added documentation with the invoices that I will enclose with the sale of the work) :
1) Adhémar, Jean. Toulouse-Lautrec: His Complete Lithographs and Drypoints, New York, 1951. Listed and illustrated as cat. no. 71 and detailed on pg. XVI.
2) Adriani, Götz. Toulouse Lautrec: The Complete Graphic Works A Catalogue Raisonne, London, 1988. Listed and illustrated as cat. no. 57 on pgs. 94-5.
3) Delteil Loys. H. de Toulouse-Lautrec, seconde partie, Paris, 1920. Listed and illustrated as cat. no. 349.
4) Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Toulouse-Lautrec and His Contemporaries: Posters of the Belle Epoque from the Wagner Collection, Los Angeles, 1985. Listed and illustrated as cat. no. 11.
5) Wittrock, Wolfgang. Toulouse-Lautrec The Complete Prints, Vol II, New York, 1985. Listed and illustrated on pgs. 774-775 as cat. no. P10.
About the Framing:
Conservation framed with archival materials, this work is set in a beautiful, Spanish-style black and gold moulding that gracefully complements this marvelous work. Intricately carved detailing serves to accent Toulouse-Lautrec's ornate composition and even echoes the gentle curves and costume detail of Bruant in the work. Completed with white, linen-wrapped mats and a matching gold inner fillet, this work is set behind an archival Plexiglas cover.
