Yvette Guilbert

c. 1894

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (French, 1864–1901)

Drawings

Yvette Guilbert, c. 1894. Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (French, 1864–1901). Black crayon; framed: 135.2 x 73 cm (53 1/4 x 28 3/4 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Leonard C. Hanna, Jr. 1950.455 This drawing depicts Yvette Guilbert, a popular Parisian cabaret performer who was the subject of numerous prints, posters, drawings, and paintings by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. Here, Lautrec began to work out the composition of a poster that Guilbert commissioned from him to publicize her upcoming season at Les Ambassadeurs, a popular night club. A more finished study is part of the collection of the Musée Toulouse-Lautrec in Albi, France, but the poster itself was never realized after Guilbert rejected the design as unflattering. Yvette Guilbert's cabaret act was centered on the distinctive long black gloves that she wore during performances.

Original Source

Maker/Artist: Toulouse-Lautrec, Henri de
Classification: Drawing
Formatted Medium: black crayon
Medium: black, crayon
Dimensions: Framed: 135.2 x 73 cm (53 1/4 x 28 3/4 in.)
Inscribed: Inscription: signed, in black crayon, at upper right: TLautrec; initialed (monogram), in black crayon at right center.
Departments: Drawings
Accession Number: 1950.455
Credit Line: Gift of Leonard C. Hanna, Jr.
Exhibitions: Art: The International Language, Department of Prints and Drawings Opening Exhibition, The Artist and the Theater, Drawings
Rights Statement: CC0