Le Petit Trottin. The Errand Girl. by Henri De Toulouse-Lautrec, 1864-1901

Henri De Toulouse-Lautrec, 1864-1901
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Le Petit Trottin. The Errand Girl.

Original lithograph in black ink with added stencil-printed colours. 1893. Signed with the monogram in the stone. From the rare first edition as a song sheet on large format paper - prior to the song sheet issues on folded paper. Complete with the music on the reverse. Printed at the studio of Joly. With exceptionally fresh colours.
Ref: Wittrock - Toulouse Lautrec The Prints no 14; Adriani-Toulouse Lautrec Graphic Work no 36

Extremely fine impression with exceptional fresh colours. On pale cream/beige light wove paper. Excellent condition. With full margins. Sheet: 13 1/2 x 10 3/8ins. Image: 11 x 7
1/2ins (280x192mm)

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An exceptionally fresh impression with unfaded colours on the rare 'collector's' large format paper of the first issue of one of Lautrec's best known early compositions.

Le Petit Trottin was commissioned from Lautrec in 1893 as a part of a series of compositions designed to decorate the front covers of song sheets - the music and words of popular songs. The music was sold for people to play at home in the same way as a modern CD might be sold. The artist Ibels had persuaded the leading song publisher Gustave Ondet that sales of his song sheets would be enhanced if they were decorated by leading young artists. Ondet decided that these song sheets would have the images drawn in original lithography as this would also enhance their interest. Besides Ibels, Ondet turned to Lautrec for images. The ten images that Lautrec drew are amongst his best early lithographs.

Besides the regular editions of the song sheets as music to use, Ondet decided to issue some impressions on larger paper without the music so that the image would be a collector's item. The first issue examples of these impressions, on larger paper, have become extremely scarce. The example above is exceptional in the freshness of the colours and the preservation.

The brush-drawn style of 'The Errand Girl' is typical of Lautrec's earliest work in lithography. Simplified strokes create contour with almost no detailed surface work, areas of pattern making a contrast against the drawing and the shapes enlivened by colour printed by stencil (rather than lithography). The expressive faces and poses of the figures already show the unique genius of Lautrec's art.