The Laundry Worker 1888

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec created this oil painting, The Laundry Worker, to capture a moment in the everyday life of a working woman. Lautrec uses visible brushstrokes to build up the image, and the lack of detail in the figure and setting give it an unfinished quality. The woman's white blouse appears almost luminous against the darker tones of her skirt and the interior, drawing our attention to the fabric itself. In the late 19th century, laundry work was a common but arduous job for women in Paris. Lautrec's choice of subject matter reflects an interest in representing the realities of working-class life. The painting itself can be seen as an object, like the laundered textiles that were the woman’s work. By focusing on the labor involved in laundry work and the material qualities of the fabric, Lautrec elevates a mundane scene to a subject worthy of artistic attention, challenging the traditional hierarchy between fine art and craft.