THE snake costume was probably an invention of Lautrec's rather than one that Jane Avril actually wore in a dance, which may be why her manager rejected the poster and it was never used. A preparatory drawing shows only a boa-like form wound around the dancer.

In comparison to the poster made of her six years before, this design shows both Avril and Lautrec under the sway of Art Nouveau. Janes's form-fitting dress departs entirely from the bonnets, aprons, petticoats, and full skirts of her earlier costume, and one might assume that her dancing had changed to a similarly sophisticated style. The snake, at which she feigns horror, is used to complement her twisting form. The name of Lautrec's printer, Henri Stern, is imprinted along the right edge of the lithograph.

Jane Avril
1899; Desloge 108; W P29b; D 367
Lithograph in four colors. 22 1/16 x 14 3/16 inches.
Artist's monogram and date lower right; text by another hand.
Gift of the Baldwin M. Baldwin Foundation, 1987:103

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