Di Ti Fellow - Englishmen at the Cafe-Concert (Di Ti Fellow - Anglaise au Café-Concert)

The image presents two English visitors seated at a small table, their formal attire and hats rendered with a rigid posture that contrasts with the lively atmosphere of the surrounding patrons. By emphasizing their stiffness, Toulouse‑Lautrec subtly comments on the cultural distance between foreign observers and the bustling Parisian nightlife they are witnessing.

Created through the traditional lithographic process, the artist drew directly onto a stone surface with greasy crayons, allowing the brown pigment to transfer onto the paper in soft, atmospheric tones. The handmade paper absorbs the ink, producing a muted glow that suggests the dim lighting of an interior café, while the simplified forms and bold outlines reflect the artist’s characteristic graphic style.

Toulouse‑Lautrec, born into French aristocracy in 1864, turned to printmaking as a primary means of documenting the social scenes of Montmartre and its environs. This particular lithograph entered the public domain through acquisition by the National Gallery of Art in Washington, where it is listed among the museum’s extensive collection of his prints.

The late 1890s saw Paris’s café‑concerts become hubs of popular entertainment, drawing both locals and tourists. Toulouse‑Lautrec’s focus on such venues aligns with his broader interest in the everyday life of the city’s nightlife, a theme he explored across paintings, posters, and numerous lithographs that recorded the era’s social dynamics.