Cover for L’Estampe originale, Album I, publiée par les Journal des Artistes

Description

For L’Estampe Originale, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec brings the making and viewing of a print together in a cover design. An older printer stands at the left near a roller press, while a woman in orange clothing and a dark hat examines a sheet at the right. The full-color scene makes the printed image itself part of the subject, connecting practical work with attentive looking.

Dated 1893, the six-color lithograph introduces the publication’s first album. The museum identifies the pair as printer Père Cotelle and performer Jane Avril, whom Toulouse-Lautrec knew personally. Their encounter gives contemporary printmaking a stylish human presence, joining its production with the pleasure of seeing the result. Edward Ancourt printed the cover and André Marty published it. The design preserves one pictorial introduction to the album, allowing a working printshop to become an engaging social scene.

Read our guide to giclée prints or browse the Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec collection.