The Final Outing (from The Old Tales)

Art Historical Context

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec *The Final Outing* (from *The Old Tales*), created in 1893, is a masterful example of his innovative printmaking during the vibrant fin-de-siècle Paris. in collaboration with printers Edouard Kleinmann and Goudezki, this and spatter lithograph printed in black ink on wove paper, with delicate yellow stencil coloring added by hand—a technique that lent each impression a unique, painterly quality. As the only state of this rare print (image: 10 7/16 x 7 3/16 in.), it exemplifies Lautrec's Post-Impressionist flair for blending fine art with commercial lithography, revolutionizing poster design and illustration. Lautrec, famed for capturing the bohemian nightlife of Montmartre cabarets like the Moulin Rouge, here draws from narrative traditions in *The Old Tales* series, evoking human figures in a poignant scene. The spatter technique adds textured dynamism, mimicking the spontaneity of his drawings while highlighting everyday drama. Its presence in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Alfred Stieglitz Collection (gift, 1949) underscores its bridge between European avant-garde and American modernism—Stieglitz championed such works as harbingers of 20th-century art. This intimate print invites visitors to ponder Lautrec's empathy for fleeting moments, a hallmark of his oeuvre amid his own health struggles, making it a gem for exploring late 19th-century cultural storytelling.

About the Artist

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec|Edouard Kleinmann|Jean Goudezki · 1864–1901

Henri Marie Raymond de Toulouse-Lautrec-Montfa (1864-1901) was a French Post-Impressionist painter, printmaker, and illustrator whose innovative poster designs revolutionized graphic art and advertising in late 19th-century Paris. Born into an aristocratic family at Albi in southern France, Toulouse-Lautrec's privileged lineage traced back to the Counts of Toulouse and extended uninterrupted to th...