Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (French, 1864–1901), May Milton, 1895. Color lithograph, 30 1/2 × 23 3/4 in. (77.47 × 60.33 cm). Milwaukee Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Harry Lynde Bradley. M1966.161.
Poster for May Milton’s American tour
The English dancer May Milton commissioned Lautrec for this poster in 1895; at the same time, he was working on an affiche for her lover, the singer May Belfort. Mindful of their relationship, Lautrec made their posters in similarly bold styles and identical in dimension.
This poster had a particular impact on the young Pablo Picasso, who hung it in his studio on the Boulevard de Clichy; it adorns the wall in his painting Interior with Bather (1901).
Exhibition label, Posters of Paris: Toulouse-Lautrec and His Contemporaries, Baker/Rowland Galleries, June 1–September 9, 2012. Written by Mary Weaver Chapin, Associate Curator of Prints and Drawings.
