Who painted Elles: Woman Carrying a Tray, Mme. Baron and Mlle. Popo?

Elles: Woman Carrying a Tray, Mme. Baron and Mlle. Popo was painted by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec in 1896.

Where can I see Elles: Woman Carrying a Tray, Mme. Baron and Mlle. Popo?

Elles: Woman Carrying a Tray, Mme. Baron and Mlle. Popo is held by Cleveland Museum of Art.

What movement is Elles: Woman Carrying a Tray, Mme. Baron and Mlle. Popo?

Elles: Woman Carrying a Tray, Mme. Baron and Mlle. Popo is associated with Impressionism.

Artwork

Elles: Woman Carrying a Tray, Mme. Baron and Mlle. Popo

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec , 1896

Elles: Woman Carrying a Tray, Mme. Baron and Mlle. Popo is a print by the Impressionist artist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. It dates from 1896 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. Henri de Toulouse‑Lautrec’s 1896 print *Elles: Woman Carrying a Tray, Mme.

About this work

Overview

Henri de Toulouse‑Lautrec’s 1896 print *Elles: Woman Carrying a Tray, Mme. Baron and Mlle. Popo* captures a brief, intimate moment in a modest interior. Two women are depicted: one seated at a table with a small tray, the other reclined on a couch with an outstretched arm. The composition is rendered in a loose, gestural manner that emphasizes atmosphere over detail.

Subject & Meaning

The figures are drawn from the world of Parisian nightlife, a milieu that Toulouse‑Lautrec frequented. One woman, identified as Mme. Baron, appears to be serving a drink, while the other, Mlle. Popo, relaxes nearby. Their relaxed poses and the dim lighting suggest a private, perhaps clandestine, setting typical of the city’s entertainment venues at the turn of the century.

Technique & Style

Executed with swift, fluid lines, the print relies on minimal shading to suggest form. The artist leaves much of the surface unfilled, allowing the viewer’s eye to complete the silhouettes of clothing, faces, and furnishings. This economy of detail creates a sketch‑like quality, characteristic of Toulouse‑Lautrec’s graphic approach to capturing fleeting scenes.

History & Provenance

Created during a prolific period when the French artist was documenting the underbelly of Montmartre, the work was produced as part of a series focusing on women who worked in the city’s cabarets and brothels. It remains in the collection of a major European museum, where it is displayed alongside other prints that illustrate the artist’s interest in the social dynamics of late‑19th‑century Paris.

Artist & collection

Artist

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec

Comte Henri Marie Raymond de Toulouse-Lautrec-Montfa (24 November 1864 – 9 September 1901), known as Toulouse-Lautrec (French: ), was a French painter, printmaker, draughtsman, caricaturist, and illustrator.