Woman before a Mirror

1897
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 823

The indolent, cloistered lives of prostitutes were the subject of some of Lautrec’s most powerful works. He made about fifty paintings depicting them, as well as numerous drawings and prints, including a suite of color lithographs, Elles, which was completed the year before this painting. Presenting the naked figure from behind without divulging her expression in the mirror, Lautrec asserts the candor of his gaze, echoed by the model, who appears to be taking a stark appraisal of herself.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Woman before a Mirror
  • Artist: Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (French, Albi 1864–1901 Saint-André-du-Bois)
  • Date: 1897
  • Medium: Oil on cardboard
  • Dimensions: 24 1/2 x 18 1/2 in. (62.2 x 47 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: The Walter H. and Leonore Annenberg Collection, Bequest of Walter H. Annenberg, 2002
  • Object Number: 2003.20.15
  • Curatorial Department: European Paintings

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