Dear Helaine and Joe: This Toulouse-Lautrec lithograph was previously owned by David Susskind, who was a producer of TV films and stage plays, and a pioneer TV talk-show host. It was given to me some 32 years ago by a dear friend. Can you tell me what the approximated value might be?Thank you,J.J.Dear J.J.:He was born Henri Marie Raymond de Toulouse Lautrec-Monfa in Albi, Tarn, France, in 1864 and was the first son of the count and countess of Toulouse-Lautrec.Unfortunately, when the young man was 13, he broke his left thighbone -- and it did not heal properly. Then, at 14, he broke his right thighbone, and it did not heal properly, either. He is thought by many to have suffered from a genetic disease called "pycnodysostosis" (Mom and Dad were first cousins -- yikes!) that is sometimes known as "Toulouse-Lautrec syndrome."As a result, Henri's upper body grew to adult proportions, but his lower body remained the size of an adolescent boy's. As an adult, he stood 5 feet 1 inch tall. He moved to Paris and settled in the Montmartre district, which was one of the hangouts for the city's artists and bohemians.When the Moulin Rouge was built in 1889, Toulouse-Lautrec was commissioned to create a series of posters for the establishment, and, subsequently, the nightclub reserved a table for him and displayed his art. The Moulin Rouge was in Paris's red-light district on the Boulevard Clincy in the Pigalle district, and it had a replica of a red windmill on its roof (thus the name: Moulin Rouge, or Red Windmill).The can-can had been a working-class party dance for some time, but at the Moulin Rouge it was initially a dance done by the courtesans to entice their male customers. It is said by some that Louise Weber (a/k/a "La Goulue," or glutton) introduced the dance to the club, and it became both famous and notorious.Jane Avril (1868-1943), the subject of the Toulouse-Lautrec poster in today's question, was born Jeanne Beaudon, and her father was the Count Luigi di Font. She had an unhappy early life, and for a time was ruled to be insane and confined to a hospital. When she was released, she became a dancer, and was hired at the Moulin Rouge in 1889. She left for a more respectable dancing career, but was lured back to the Moulin Rouge in 1895 to replace Weber.In simplest terms, Toulouse-Lautrec's artistic style reduced form to simple flat patterns rendered in a small range of eye-catching colors. This simplicity of line and color allowed his works to be reproduced on very inexpensive paper, which has decreased their longevity.This five-color lithograph of Avril advertises her debut at the Jardin de Paris, which was located on the fashionable Champs-Elysees. The originals of this poster were printed in Paris by Imprimerie Chaix, which is indeed printed on J.J.'s poster. However, below that -- and largely hidden by the frame -- is the notation that it was "Printed in Denmark," which clearly indicates that this piece is a modern reproduction.Originals of this poster sell from $60,000 to $80,000 at auction, but the value of this one is largely decorative and is certainly less than $100.(Helaine Fendelman and Joe Rosson are the authors of "Price It Yourself" (HarperResource, $19.95). Contact them at Treasures in Your Attic, PO Box 27540, Knoxville, TN 37927. E-mail them at treasures(at)knology.net.)
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Appraising a Toulouse-Lautrec lithograph
Submitted by SHNS on Mon, 11/17/2008 - 14:36
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