Sarah Bernhardt

Description

Sarah Bernhardt tilts her head toward the right in Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec’s close bust portrait. A billowing scarf and diagonally marked neckcloth give the lower figure a lively surface, contrasting with the smaller facial forms above. The arrangement joins expressive clothing with the sitter’s direction, making both contribute to the presence of a recognizable individual.

Dated 1898, the crayon lithograph on China paper belongs to Portraits of Actors and Actresses, a series of thirteen lithographs. Toulouse-Lautrec represents Bernhardt as a named person rather than fixing her to a particular dramatic character in this portrait. The close view gives a performer’s public identity an intimate scale, letting a tilted head and surrounding fabric hold attention. The print preserves one individual likeness within the wider series, allowing it to remain distinct from the other portraits.

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