Cover for "L'example de Ninon de Lenclos amoureuse" 1897

Editor: This is Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec’s cover design for "L'example de Ninon de Lenclos amoureuse" from 1897. It’s a drawing, seemingly a pencil sketch, and what strikes me immediately is its understated elegance despite the apparent frivolity of the characters. What catches your eye when you look at this piece? Curator: Well, knowing Lautrec, I see this work deeply embedded in the social fabric of 19th-century Paris. Lautrec was commissioned for this book, wasn't he? A seemingly "high society" romance narrative...But is it really? Remember Lautrec was always acutely aware of societal facades and class divisions, showing Paris night life with a grain of salt. What does that tiny figure on the left seem to you? Editor: He's like a small entertainer with a pet, removed from the apparent luxury on the right. Like two totally different scenes. Curator: Exactly! Lautrec uses this composition, and indeed this commission, to juxtapose idealized narratives of romance, and their own, often jarring, real world lived realities and relationships. This brings up questions. Who had access to romance? Who could afford it? Was it something "real" or something fabricated for them by literature and mass-consumption? Editor: I see that now; the figure on the left seems more human somehow, versus the obscured group on the right that lacks clarity. Like characters on a playbill, like stage prop. It almost criticizes elitism, if that's possible to depict using an image. Curator: I would say it's indeed a subtle commentary! Through his characteristic rendering, and stark choices in compositions, Lautrec reveals underlying social inequalities and constructs that shaped relationships then and now. Are these loves real, or simply part of some societal performance? Editor: Wow, I did not anticipate it having that level of depth when I initially viewed it. The implications of context really changed everything for me. Curator: Me neither! Now you made me think, what does that dog symbolise here?!