The Seated Clowness (Mademoiselle Cha-u-ka-o), from "Elles"

The Seated Clowness (Mademoiselle Cha-u-ka-o), from "Elles"

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The success of Toulouse-Lautrec's posters advertising Parisian cabarets such as the Moulin Rouge led him to produce deluxe editions of prints of Montmartre's performers, such as this one of the clown and dancer Cha-u-Kao. These lithographs were intended to appeal to fans and print collectors alike. Unlike Lautrec's other images that feature Cha-u-Kao performing, this one captures her off stage in a moment of quiet repose. Her frank pose and almost weary expression suggest we are glimpsing the person behind the persona.

Drawings and Prints

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Seated Clowness (Mademoiselle Cha-u-ka-o), from "Elles"The Seated Clowness (Mademoiselle Cha-u-ka-o), from "Elles"The Seated Clowness (Mademoiselle Cha-u-ka-o), from "Elles"The Seated Clowness (Mademoiselle Cha-u-ka-o), from "Elles"The Seated Clowness (Mademoiselle Cha-u-ka-o), from "Elles"

The Department’s vast collection of works on paper comprises approximately 21,000 drawings, 1.2 million prints, and 12,000 illustrated books created in Europe and the Americas from about 1400 to the present day. Since its foundation in 1916, the Department has been committed to collecting a wide range of works on paper, which includes both pieces that are incredibly rare and lauded for their aesthetic appeal, as well as material that is more popular, functional, and ephemeral. The broad scope of the department’s collecting encourages questions of connoisseurship as well as those pertaining to function and context, and demonstrates the vital role that prints, drawings, and illustrated books have played throughout history.