The Laundress, 1888. Toulouse-Lautrec made this drawing as an illustration for an article on "Summer in Paris" published in Paris illustré, a magazine popular among the middle classes. Although the article singled out the laundress as a charming object of the male gaze on the streets of the city, the stooping posture and dark-circled eyes of this figure give her a haggard look that invites comparison with the workhorse behind her. The sharp receding perspective emphasizes the act of street-level spectatorship. A man's top hat visible in the coach behind the woman alludes to her
The Laundress, 1888. Toulouse-Lautrec made this drawing as an illustration for an article on "Summer in Paris" published in Paris illustré, a magazine popular among the middle classes. Although the article singled out the laundress as a charming object of the male gaze on the streets of the city, the stooping posture and dark-circled eyes of this figure give her a haggard look that invites comparison with the workhorse behind her. The sharp receding perspective emphasizes the act of street-level spectatorship. A man's top hat visible in the coach behind the woman alludes to her subservient social and sexual role.
Size: 4363px × 5239px
Photo credit: © Heritage Art/Heritage Images / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: 1864-1901, 19th, art, black, century, cleveland, de, drawing, france, french, gray, henri, heritage, museum, paint, places, scratched, toulouse-lautrec, wash, white
