Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec

French, 1864-1901

Femme retroussant sa chemise (Woman Lifting Her Chemise), 1901

oil on wood panel

support: 22 x 16 5/8 inches (55.88 x 42.23 cm); framed: 28 3/4 x 23 9/16 x 2 3/8 inches (73.02 x 59.85 x 6.03 cm)

Collection Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York

Gift of A. Conger Goodyear, 1956

1956:7

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Inscriptions

signature, dated / lower left / H T Lautrec / 1901

Provenance

collection S. S. Sévadjian;
sold at auction at Hôtel Drouot, Paris, sale of the collection of Sévadjian, no. 30, to John Quinn, March 22, 1920;
purchased by A. Conger Goodyear from the estate of John Quinn, January 15, 1926;
presented by Goodyear to the Albright Art Gallery, December 1, 1956

Class

Paintings

Work Type

Oil painting

Information may change due to ongoing research.Glossary of Terms

Despite his noble birth, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec chose to live his life outside polite society. As both a patron and lodger, he moved in and out of brothels, and he often spent his evenings sketching in the corners of Parisian cafés. He found comfort within these walls of wantonness. Choosing to place himself among the marginalized, he was treated in many ways like a family member—sharing meals with the women and earning their trust. Toulouse-Lautrec viewed prostitutes with great compassion, and his artworks reveal the ordinary aspects of their lives. The female figure in Woman Lifting Her Chemise raises her garment in anticipation of a compulsory medical examination, a theme featured in several of his paintings. This work was created when, at the age of 37, Toulouse-Lautrec’s own health had already deteriorated as a result of long-term alcoholism, which prompted, in part, a darkening of his palette and a focus on interior scenes.