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The Sofa

ca. 1894–96
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 817
Lautrec set out to document the lives of prostitutes in a series of pictures executed between 1892 and 1896. At first he made sketches in brothels, but he was apparently hampered by insufficient lighting and had his models pose in his studio. He appreciated the naturalness of sitters like this lesbian couple, "who stretch themselves out on the divans…entirely without pretensions." The candid image may take its cue from Degas’s monotypes of brothel scenes and erotic Japanese prints.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: The Sofa
  • Artist: Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (French, Albi 1864–1901 Saint-André-du-Bois)
  • Date: ca. 1894–96
  • Medium: Oil on cardboard
  • Dimensions: 24 3/4 x 31 7/8 in. (62.9 x 81 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1951
  • Object Number: 51.33.2
  • Curatorial Department: European Paintings

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6023. The Sofa

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More Artwork

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A Scene from Offenbach's La Belle Hélène, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec French, Lithograph
A Scene from Offenbach's La Belle Hélène
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec
1900
Au Pied de L'Echaufaud
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec
1893
Confetti, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec French, Lithograph printed in three colors on vellum
Confetti
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec
1894
"Les Vieux Messieurs" (The Old Gentlemen), Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec French, Lithograph on wove paper
"Les Vieux Messieurs" (The Old Gentlemen)
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec
1894
Madame Réjane, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec French, Lithograph on wove paper
Madame Réjane
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec
1898

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