Getting Up, from the series Elles

Description

In Getting Up, a woman in a white gown sits on a bed at the left, facing a standing red-haired figure at the right. A patterned red coverlet gives the room another strong presence. The neighboring bodies make rising a shared occasion, connecting a familiar private interval to the immediate company within the interior.

Made in 1896, the lithograph uses crayon, brush, spatter and scraper and is printed in four colors on wove paper. The scene belongs to Elles, a series that gives everyday activities a sustained visual attention. Toulouse-Lautrec lets the bedding and figures share the image’s interest rather than treating the room as empty background. A modest transition acquires particular character through clothing, color and proximity, making the act of beginning a day an engaging subject in its own right.

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