Jane Hading 1898

Editor: Here we have Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec's 1898 pencil drawing, "Jane Hading," currently housed at the Met. It’s incredibly spare; almost ghostly in its delicacy. What strikes you most about this portrait, and how do you interpret it? Curator: What I find fascinating about this work is the negotiation of public image and private creation. Lautrec, known for depicting performers and nightlife figures, gives us Hading, a celebrated actress. This sketch, however, exists outside the commodified image that was typically circulated. We see a sense of immediacy, perhaps even intimacy, that is missing from the posters. Consider the lack of embellishment, the fleeting lines – do these suggest a rejection of the manufactured celebrity persona? Editor: That’s a really interesting point – it definitely feels like a backstage pass compared to his posters. Is he humanizing her or still playing with her public persona, just in a different key? Curator: It's a crucial question. Look at the context of celebrity culture in late 19th-century France. Photography and print media were rapidly evolving, and artists like Lautrec played a role in shaping those perceptions. Even in its sketched form, it perpetuates, doesn't it, the notion of 'the star,' someone to be observed. How much control did Hading, or any of these performers, really have over their own image in that moment? Editor: So, is it fair to say this drawing captures a pivotal point in the evolution of celebrity, before the stars themselves could actively manage their brands? Curator: Precisely! It speaks to the institutional power that artists and the media held in constructing these figures. It's a dance between observation, exploitation, and, perhaps, even a little bit of admiration, all playing out on paper. Editor: That makes me look at the drawing with totally new eyes – it’s less about the likeness itself and more about the forces shaping the likeness. Thanks for untangling that for me!