Truffier and Moreno, in Les Femmes Savantes
1893, published 1894
Medium
Lithograph on cream wove paper
Dimensions
Image: 37.4 × 26.7 cm (14 3/4 × 10 9/16 in.); Sheet: 38 × 28 cm (15 × 11 1/16 in.)
Classification
lithograph
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
35917
Rights
Public Domain
Art Historical Context
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec's1893 lithograph, in 1894, "Truffier and, in Les Femmes Savantes," offers a vivid into late 19th-century French theater It portrays the actors Truffier Moreno in Molière's classic comedy *The Learned Ladies*, revealing the artist's fascination with the stage and its performers. A leading Post-Impressionist, Toulouse-Lautrec was renowned for capturing Parisian entertainment through innovative prints. This work on cream wove paper showcases his mastery of lithography, with fluid lines and subtle tones that convey theatrical energy and character. The technique, popular in the 1890s, enabled efficient reproduction, often for theater programs and promotions, making art more widely accessible. Now in the Art Institute of Chicago's Prints and Drawings collection, this roughly 15-by-11-inch print highlights Toulouse-Lautrec's role in documenting Belle Époque cultural life. It invites viewers to connect with both a historic performance and the artist's distinctive, expressive style.
About the Artist
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec · 1864–1901
Henri Marie Raymond de Toulouse-Lautrec-Montfa (1864-1901) was a French Post-Impressionist painter, printmaker, and illustrator whose innovative poster designs revolutionized graphic art and advertising in late 19th-century Paris. Born into an aristocratic family at Albi in southern France, Toulouse-Lautrec's privileged lineage traced back to the Counts of Toulouse and extended uninterrupted to th...