Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864-1901)

Toulouse-Lautrec’s first endeavor in poster design and first use of lithography combines vivid imagery and bold typography to promote the risqué performances of one of the Moulin Rouge’s principal dancers, Louise Weber, more commonly known as La Goulue.

Posted around Paris city centre, the work was an instant success, popular with the Parisian public and collectors alike. High demand for the poster coupled with its considerable size, lead to many dealers opting to dispose of the top banner in order to make the scale of the work more manageable. As a result, surviving copies which include the top banner are particularly scarce.

This copy of Moulin Rouge, La Goulue not only retains the top banner but also features two star-shaped stamps from the Moulin Rouge itself. Not present on all copies, the marks indicate that this poster was received at and approved by the establishment before being dispatched for display in the city.