“This intimate lithograph captures a woman in a rare moment of quiet contemplation, offering a poignant contrast to the vibrant Parisian life often depicted by Toulouse-Lautrec.”
A lone figure, her head bowed in contemplation, dominates this lithograph by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. She sits at a table, her form rendered with a striking simplicity that emphasizes her pensive mood. The setting is spare, allowing the viewer to focus entirely on the woman's introspective posture and the subtle play of light and shadow on her face. This intimate portrayal offers a glimpse into a quiet, private moment, a stark contrast to the boisterous scenes of Parisian nightlife often associated with the artist. The delicate lines and muted tones of the print underscore the sense of introspection, inviting a closer look at the subtle details that convey her state of mind. It’s a work that asks us to consider the inner lives of those around us, even in their most solitary moments.
- Artist
- Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec
- Date
- 1893
- Medium
- Color lithograph on ivory wove paper
- Location
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Dimensions
- Image: 25.2 × 19 cm (9 15/16 × 7 1/2 in.); Sheet: 35 × 26.8 cm (13 13/16 × 10 9/16 in.)
- Collection
- Prints and Drawings
- Culture
- France
- Credit line
- Mr. and Mrs. Carter H. Harrison Collection
What to Notice
Four details hide in plain sight. Here’s where to look.

The woman's downcast gaze and clasped hands.
The simple, almost stark background.
The delicate lines defining her face and hair.
The subtle shading that gives her form depth.
Stand in front of it and listen
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Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec
1864–1901 · FranceHenri de Toulouse-Lautrec, the aristocratic artist of fin-de-siècle Paris, immortalized the vibrant, often scandalous, life of Montmartre's cabarets and brothels.
Further Works by de Toulouse-Lautrec
Equestrienne (At the Cirque Fernando)
1887 · Art Institute of Chicago
Moulin de la Galette
1889 · Art Institute of Chicago
At the Moulin Rouge
1892 · Art Institute of Chicago
Albert (René) Grenier (1858–1925)
1887 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Woman in the Garden of Monsieur Forest
1889 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Streetwalker
1890 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Henri-Gabriel Ibels (1867–1936)
1892 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Englishman (William Tom Warrener, 1861–1934) at the Moulin Rouge
1892 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art
More from Post-Impressionism
More works to explore
Beyond de Toulouse-Lautrec and Post-Impressionism: works from the same years.
Same era · 1870s–1900s
A Woman Walking in a Garden
Vincent van Gogh · 1887 · Frans Buffa & sons
Same era · 1870s–1900s
Still Life with Crayfish
Mikhail Larionov · 1900 · Museum Ludwig
Same era · 1870s–1900s
A Sunday on La Grande Jatte — 1884
Okada Saburosuke · 1884 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1870s–1900s
Madame Léon Clapisson
Léon-Victor Dupré · 1883 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1870s–1900s
Frauenkopf vor Sonnenblumen
Ernst Ludwig Kirchner · 1906 · Museum Frieder Burda
Same era · 1870s–1900s
A Washerwoman at Eragny
Camille Pissarro · 1893 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Same era · 1870s–1900s
Merahi metua no Tehamana (Tehamana Has Many Parents or The Ancestors of Tehamana)
Paul Gauguin · 1893 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1870s–1900s
The Child's Bath
Mary Cassatt · 1893 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1870s–1900s
The Hands
Edvard Munch · 1893 · Munch Museum
Same era · 1870s–1900s
House and Courtyard
John Singer Sargent · 1895 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Same era · 1870s–1900s
Stacks of Wheat (End of Summer)
Claude Monet · 1891 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1870s–1900s
Young Girl with Hat
Berthe Morisot · 1891 · Art Institute of Chicago




