Elles: The Seated Clowness, Miss Cha-U-Kao (La Clownesse assise, Mademoiselle Cha-U-Kao)
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec
French, 1864–1901

Details
Title
Elles: The Seated Clowness, Miss Cha-U-Kao (La Clownesse assise, Mademoiselle Cha-U-Kao)
Artist/Maker
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (French, 1864–1901)
Date
1896
Medium
Crayon, brush, and spatter lithograph on laid Japanese paper
Dimensions
20 7/8 x 15 7/8 inches
Credit
Gift of Irene and Howard Stein
Accession #
2001.13 c
On View
Currently not on view
Elles was an album of twelve prints commissioned by Gustave Pellet and published in an edition of 100 in April 1896. It was luxuriously produced on special paper watermarked with Lautrec’s and Pellet’s names, and each composition was printed to the edges of the sheet, an unusual and attractive presentation. The subject of the album, prostitutes, was geared toward male customers, but it was financially unsuccessful. The first plate in the album, a print of the clowness Cha-u-Kao, depicts a moment of respite from the crowds and the bustling activity of the Parisian nightlife.
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