Toulouse-Lautrec and the Stars of Paris

The six performers at the center of this book―Yvette Guilbert, Jane Avril, Aristide Bruant, Marcelle Lender, May Belfort and Loïe Fuller―were all depicted by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, and in some ways defined by his iconic renderings. Actors and actresses, comedians, cabaret singers and dancers, these figures were the stars of the new entertainments of 19th-century Paris.

This booming nightlife scene coincided with new developments in modern printmaking. Lautrec immortalized the performances and personas of the city’s entertainers in colorful lithographs, elevating the advertising poster to the status of high art. Artist and performer collaborated to exploit a new culture of entertainment and mass media, creating a new kind of celebrity in the process.