Mademoiselle Eglantine’s Troupe 1896

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec created this poster of Mademoiselle Eglantine’s Troupe, sometime around 1895, using lithography. The image is more than just an advertisement for a dance troupe. It's a window into the vibrant, and at times, scandalous, Parisian nightlife of the Belle Époque. Toulouse-Lautrec's poster captures the energy of the Moulin Rouge and other cabarets where social boundaries were blurred. The can-can dance, with its high kicks and provocative nature, became a symbol of freedom and transgression. We can research police records and newspaper reviews to find out more. Lautrec’s choice to depict these performers elevates them to celebrity status while hinting at the social dynamics at play. The art historian can offer an understanding of art as inseparable from its social and institutional context.