Artist: HENRI DE TOULOUSE-LAUTREC (1864-1901)
Size: 47 1/4 x 67 in./120 x 170 cm
Condition: A-/ Slight tears at folds.
Printer: Ch. Levy, Paris
Reference: REF: Wittrock, P1B; Delteil, 229; Adriani,1; DFP-II, 822; Maitres, 122; Wagner, 1; Weill, 46; Wine Spectator, 40; PAI-XLIX, 489B

Moulin Rouge / La Goulue. 1891.
Both Lautrec’s first poster as well as his first lithograph, the Moulin Rouge design marked not only a new direction for the artist, but for art and advertising in general. It is a masterpiece in every respect of the word, magnificently capturing the essence of two popular performers at the music hall -- the dancer La Goulue and her partner Valentin le Désossé. By leaving the paper blank, Lautrec captures dead center the heart and soul of the cancan: the rush and swirl of layer upon layer of lacy petticoats, erotically and flirtatiously calling to the viewer. In a letter to his mother, Lautrec writes: “I am still waitng for my poster to come out -- there is some delay in the printing. But it has been fun to do. I had a feeling of authority over the whole studio, a new feeling for me” (Lautrec by Lautrec, p. 90). This is the two-sheet version of the poster, without the top text banner. It should be noted that this is the way that it was sold in the 1890s. With the missing banner, it would have been too large for the print collectors who began the collecting craze of the era.