Yahne and Mayer, in L'Age Difficile
Medium
Color lithograph on ivory wove paper
Dimensions
Image: 31.8 × 23.8 cm (12 9/16 × 9 3/8 in.); Sheet: 55.1 × 41.5 cm (21 3/4 × 16 3/8 in.)
Classification
lithograph
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
35795
Art Historical Context
Henri de Toulouse-Laut, a prominent Post-ist artist, created this lithograph in 189, capturing a moment from theatrical world that so often him. Known for his portrayals of Parisian nightlife, Laut used his distinctive style— by expressive lines and vibrant—to depict figures like Yahne and Mayer in the play L'Age Difficile. His work reflected the energy and decadence of the Belle Époque era. The medium of color lithography was revolutionary in the late 19th century, enabling artists to produce multiple copies with rich hues. Lautrec excelled in this technique, often designing posters that adv...
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...