La Charrette Anglaise The English Dog Cart 1897

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec created "La Charrette Anglaise" or "The English Dog Cart" using lithography, a printmaking process that democratized image production in the late 19th century. Lithography allowed artists to create multiple original images, sidestepping the traditional art world's emphasis on unique, handmade artworks. The process involves drawing on a stone or metal plate with a greasy crayon, then treating the surface to accept ink only where the crayon has marked. This print, with its swift lines and transparent washes of color, captures the fleeting energy of modern life. Lautrec embraced this medium, blurring the lines between fine art and commercial illustration. The immediacy and relative ease of lithography allowed him to produce a large body of work, engaging with a broader audience and reflecting the industrial age's changing landscape of art and labor. By understanding the means of production, we can appreciate how Lautrec challenged traditional hierarchies and made art more accessible.