Les hirondelles de mer 1895

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec made this drawing, Les hirondelles de mer, using graphite on paper. It gives us a glimpse into the social and cultural currents swirling around late 19th-century France. The sketch shows a sailboat battling rough seas, seagulls wheeling in the sky above. The scene evokes the spirit of maritime adventure, but also hints at the fraught relationship between humans and nature. In the late 1800s, France was a nation undergoing rapid modernization, with industrialization transforming both city and countryside. The image speaks to the power of nature, a popular theme in the cultural imagination, which valued a nostalgic view of the pre-industrial past, even as it hurtled towards a brave new future. By looking at sources such as exhibition reviews and social commentaries, we can better understand the dialogue between tradition and progress that defined the cultural landscape of Toulouse-Lautrec's France.