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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

More Artwork
The Englishman (William Tom Warrener, 1861–1934) at the Moulin Rouge, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec French, Oil on cardboard
The Englishman (William Tom Warrener, 1861–1934) at the Moulin Rouge
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec
1892
Ceramic Horn, Glazed pottery, French
Ceramic Horn
French
late 18th or early 19th century
Woman Having Her Hair Combed, Edgar Degas French, Pastel on light green wove paper, now discolored to warm gray, affixed to original pulpboard mount
Woman Having Her Hair Combed
Edgar Degas
ca. 1886–88
Moulin Rouge: La Goulue, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec French, Lithograph printed in four colors; three sheets of wove paper
Moulin Rouge: La Goulue
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec
Printer Affiches Américaines, Charles Lévy
1891
Édouard Manet, Seated, Holding His Hat, Edgar Degas French, Graphite and black chalk
Édouard Manet, Seated, Holding His Hat
Edgar Degas
Sitter Edouard Manet
ca. 1868

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