1891, lithograph executed with brush and spitting technique in four colours, first state, printed by Charles Lévy, Paris. Two vellum leaves separately doubled on Japan paper, joined but not clued
Savot Group, Orléans, France. This rare poster from the first state impression, is identical to that exhibited in the French National Library. It was in 1891 that Charles Zidier asked Toulouse-lautrec to produce posters destined to replaced those that had previously been made by Jules Chéret in order to promote the shows of «Le Moulin Rouge». This poster established Toulouse-Lautrec's reputation as with the use of little means and borrowings to the art of Japanese prints he reinvented a new genre in the domain of posters. His true audacity was to use the blanks of the paper to suggest the swish of La Goulue's dress while onlookers were suggested by a background of silhouettes. La Goulue's real name was Louise Weber (1870-1928), a famous French Cancan dancer in various Parisian cabarets. She was one of Toulouse Lautrec's favourite models and was represented in many of his posters, such as that of «Le Moulin de la Galette» in 1887 or «The Repos entre deux tours de valse». In 1895, already much worn out by her shows, she asked the artist to produce two decorative panels for her booth at the «Foire (fair) du Trône» that are now in the Orsay Museum and show La Goulue dancing alone or with Valentin le Désossé. Facing dire poverty, she died in 1928.
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