''Elles'' (''Them'') is a 1896 series of color

lithograph Lithography () is a planographic method of printing originally based on the miscibility, immiscibility of oil and water. The printing is from a stone (lithographic limestone) or a metal plate with a smooth surface. It was invented in 1796 by ...

s created by French artist

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec Count, ''Comte'' Henri Marie Raymond de Toulouse-Lautrec-Monfa (24 November 1864 – 9 September 1901), known as Toulouse-Lautrec (), was a French painter, printmaker, draughtsman, caricaturist, and illustrator whose immersion in the colour ...

. They are part of his series of works based on scenes from French brothels he was known to visit from 1892 to 1895. ''Elles'' was first published by

Gustave Pellet Gustave Pellet (1859–1919) was a French publisher of art. He is best known for publishing prints of erotic artworks by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and Louis Legrand. Life and work Gustave Jean Baptiste Xavier Pellet was born to a wealthy family ...

and exhibited in Paris at the 20th ''

Salon des Cent ''Salon des Cent'' ("Salon of the One Hundred") was a commercial art exhibition in Paris, based at 31 Rue Bonaparte. The ''Salon'' sold color posters, prints and reproductions of artwork to the general public at reasonable prices. It was establi ...

'' on April 22, 1896. The show attracted little initial attention and sold poorly, as it portrayed a sympathetic depiction of prostitutes undergoing their everyday routine devoid of eroticism. Artist

Edvard Munch Edvard Munch ( ; ; 12 December 1863 – 23 January 1944) was a Norwegian painter. His 1893 work ''The Scream'' has become one of Western art's most acclaimed images. His childhood was overshadowed by illness, bereavement and the dread of inher ...

was known to have bought an entire set of lithographs.Frey, Julia (1994). ''Toulouse-Lautrec: A Life''. New York: Viking. pp. 341-346; 417-418. . .

Background

In the mid-1890s, French artist

(1864–1901) frequented brothels on the rue d'Amboise and the rue des Moulins. He often took friends or relatives along with him to socialize in the brothels. He was open about his predilection for prostitutes, feeling more at home among them than in aristocratic society where he was treated as an outcast due to his disability of being short-statured. Lautrec had the outward appearance of dwarfism, attributed to a genetic condition. At home in the brothels, he was known as "Monsieur Henri" where he would draw the women during their downtime. Biographer Julia Frey writes that Lautrec, "became, in a sense, one of the family to the women in the brothels, a friend and confidant, eating meals with them, getting to know their problems, participating in their gossip, observing them in their various occupations and pleasures." He even helped decorate the brothels. Along the way, he created hundreds of paintings and drawings of prostitutes going about their everyday life. When his mother eventually found out, she asked a priest to take him to task. In response, Lautrec told the priest, "I'm digging my grave with my cock". Lautrec died in 1901 due to complications from

syphilis Syphilis () is a sexually transmitted infection caused by the bacterium ''Treponema pallidum'' subspecies ''pallidum''. The signs and symptoms depend on the stage it presents: primary, secondary, latent syphilis, latent or tertiary. The prim ...

and

alcoholism Alcoholism is the continued drinking of alcohol despite it causing problems. Some definitions require evidence of dependence and withdrawal. Problematic use of alcohol has been mentioned in the earliest historical records. The World He ...

Series

The series contains an album of 12 lithographic prints, two of which are the same image used separately for a cover and frontispiece. A 13th print, also of the same image, was used as a poster advertising the series, leaving only 11 original artworks in the series. The

Cleveland Museum of Art The Cleveland Museum of Art (CMA) is an art museum in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. Located in the Wade Park District of University Circle, the museum is internationally renowned for its substantial holdings of Asian art, Asian and Art of anc ...

holds a set of 11 lithographs. None of the works in the series are considered erotic, which perhaps contributed to their lack of commercial success. Lautrec was said to have sympathized with the women in the brothels and humanized their depiction as prostitutes, showing them undergoing their everyday routines. Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec - Elles- Frontispiece - 1950.601 - Cleveland Museum of Art.jpg, Poster for the exhibition Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec - Folder for Frontispiece of Elles - 1925.1204.12 - Cleveland Museum of Art.tif, Cover Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec - Elles - 1925.1204 - Cleveland Museum of Art.tif, Frontispiece Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec - Elles- The Seated Clown, Mlle Cha-u-Ka-o - 1925.1204.2 - Cleveland Museum of Art.tif, The Seated Clown, Mlle Cha-u-Ka-o Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec - Elles- Woman Carrying a Tray, Mme. Baron and Mlle. Popo - 1925.1204.3 - Cleveland Museum of Art.tif, Woman Carrying a Tray, Mme. Baron and Mlle. Popo Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec - Elles- Woman Sleeping - 1925.1204.4 - Cleveland Museum of Art.tif, Woman Sleeping Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec - Elles- Woman at the Tub - 1925.1204.5 - Cleveland Museum of Art.tif, Woman at the Tub Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec - Elles- The Toilet - 1925.1204.6 - Cleveland Museum of Art.jpg, The Toilet Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec - Elles- Woman Combing Her Hair - 1925.1204.8 - Cleveland Museum of Art.tif, Woman Combing Her Hair Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec - Elles- Woman In a Corset - 1925.1204.10 - Cleveland Museum of Art.tif, Woman in a Corset Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec - Elles- Woman Lying on Her Back - 1925.1204.11 - Cleveland Museum of Art.tif, Woman Lying on Her Back Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec - Elles- Woman with a Hand Mirror - 1925.1204.7 - Cleveland Museum of Art.tif, Woman with a Hand Mirror Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec - Elles- Woman in Bed - 1925.1204.9 - Cleveland Museum of Art.tif, Woman in Bed

Exhibition

The Cleveland Museum of Art exhibited selections from the series in 1986 (''Mary Cassatt and the Feminine Ideal in 19th-Century Paris'') and in 2013 (''Prints by Toulouse-Lautrec and Bonnard'').''Mary Cassatt and the Feminine Ideal in 19th-Century Paris''. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (October 14, 2012-January 20, 2013; ''Prints by Toulouse-Lautrec and Bonnard''. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (December 3, 1985-March 2, 1986).

Background

Series

Exhibition

See also

References

Further reading