Perhaps the most memorable of Bruant's posters, it stands as the heroic icon of the café era. By showing the figure from behind, looking over his shoulder, Lautrec condenses the swaggering personality into three bold shapes - the great arc of black cape, red scarf, and black hat - that had become symbolic of Bruant himself.

While general comparisons have been drawn between Lautrec's graphic style and Japanese prints, it is likely that for this poster the artist made specific reference to woodcuts of Japanese actors. Such Kabuki prints emphasized individual personality through dramatic form and posture. Japonisme had been pervasive in French painting and printmaking since the 1870s. Lautrec was familiar with Japanese prints through exhibitions held in Paris and even formed his own collection of them.

Aristide Bruant dans son cabaret
1893; Desloge 88; W P9c; D 348
Lithograph in four colors. 52 3/8 x 38 1/4 inches.
Printed across two sheets of paper.
Text added by another hand after the artist's design.
Artist's signature and monogram, lower left.
Gift of the Baldwin M. Baldwin Foundation, 1987:26

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