Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864-1901)

May Milton was an English vaudeville performer who briefly appeared on stage in Paris before embarking on a tour of America, for which this poster was commissioned. Lautrec captures the essence of his subject with great economy, describing her flowing garment with a few fluid strokes. Using the tone of the paper to describe her white dress, he offsets Milton's coquettish figure against a background of vivid blue. Lautrec made this poster as a pendant for his equally famous depiction of Milton's lover, the singer May Belfort (see lot 34). Although nothing is known of Milton after her departure for America,this poster, regarded as a masterpiece of its kind, has ensured her lasting fame. As a young artist, Pablo Picasso kept a copy in his Montmartre studio: May Milton's flowing dress, her bombshell blonde hair and deft sideways kick can easily be recognised on the back wall in his painting The room of 1901 (Phillips Collection, Washington).