# Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/henri-de-toulouse-lautrec/
Profile generated: 2026-04-29T01:09:25.917Z
Quality: high confidence, strong sources

## Artist identity

- Birth date: 1864-11-24
- Death date: 1901-09-09
- Nationality: French
- Movements: Post-Impressionism
- Common media: Oil painting, Lithography, Drawing, Poster design, Printmaking, Ceramics

## About Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864–1901) was a French painter, printmaker, and poster designer whose work defined the visual culture of Montmartre's nightlife during the Belle Époque. Born into an aristocratic family in Albi in southern France, he moved to Paris as a young artist and became a fixture of the city's cabarets, dance halls, and theaters. His depictions of performers at the Moulin Rouge, the cancan dancer La Goulue, and singer Jane Avril remain among the most recognizable images of late 19th-century Paris. Though his career lasted barely a decade before his death at age 36, Toulouse-Lautrec produced an extraordinary body of paintings, lithographic posters, drawings, and prints that bridged fine art and commercial illustration. His bold compositions, flat areas of color, and unconventional cropping placed him among the leading Post-Impressionist innovators and influenced the development of modern graphic design.

## Common works and media

The most frequently encountered Toulouse-Lautrec works at auction are color lithographic posters and prints, especially the Moulin Rouge, Jane Avril, Aristide Bruant, and Divan Japonais series. Original oil paintings appear less often but include portrait, cabaret, and brothel interior scenes. Works on paper range from finished drawings in crayon and ink to rapid sketches and caricatures. Illustrated books and café-concert programs with original lithographic covers also appear. Ceramic pieces, though rare, represent a lesser-known category. Collectors should distinguish between lifetime impressions, later restrikes, and reproductive copies.

## Market and appraisal context

Toulouse-Lautrec's auction market is one of the deepest for any Post-Impressionist, with 1,558 indexed lots and 849 carrying realized prices spanning 1997 to April 2026. Liquidity is strong: 230 lots traded in the most recent 12-month window and 397 in the prior period. The price distribution is extremely wide, reflecting the full range of media: from $10 for reproduction posters and minor prints to $22.4 million for major oil paintings, with a median of $3,125 and a 75th percentile at $11,000. Lithographic posters and prints dominate volume, traded heavily through Poster Auctions International and Swann Auction Galleries. Original paintings, when they appear, trade at Christie's and Sotheby's for seven- to eight-figure sums. Ceramics are rare but notable—a Yvette Guilbert earthenware piece realized $138,600 at Christie's in May 2025. Recent poster results include Reine de Joie at $20,000, The Chap Book at $20,000, and May Belfort at $11,000 at Poster Auctions International.

## Auction-house-backed market evidence

Toulouse-Lautrec's auction market is one of the deepest for any Post-Impressionist, with 1,558 indexed lots and 849 carrying realized prices spanning 1997 to April 2026. Liquidity is strong: 230 lots traded in the most recent 12-month window and 397 in the prior period. The price distribution is extremely wide, reflecting the full range of media: from $10 for reproduction posters and minor prints to $22.4 million for major oil paintings, with a median of $3,125 and a 75th percentile at $11,000. Lithographic posters and prints dominate volume, traded heavily through Poster Auctions International and Swann Auction Galleries. Original paintings, when they appear, trade at Christie's and Sotheby's for seven- to eight-figure sums. Ceramics are rare but notable—a Yvette Guilbert earthenware piece realized $138,600 at Christie's in May 2025. Recent poster results include Reine de Joie at $20,000, The Chap Book at $20,000, and May Belfort at $11,000 at Poster Auctions International.

### Appraisal notes

Appraisily would combine these auction records with photographs (front, back, signature close-up showing the HTL ligature in circle), measured dimensions, confirmed medium (oil on canvas, crayon lithograph, poster, ceramic), condition report noting foxing, trimming, fading, or later coloration, documented provenance, and edition or state details for prints. The Wittrock catalogue raisonné for posters and prints, and the Dortu catalogue for paintings, are standard authentication references. Because the dataset mixes lifetime impressions with posthumous restrikes and reproduction posters, the appraiser must first classify the work by medium and authenticity tier before selecting comparable lots from the appropriate price segment.

### Valuation factors

- Medium: original oil paintings command the highest prices; lithographic posters and prints are far more accessible but vary widely by edition, state, and condition
- Catalogue raisonné status: Wittrock numbers for posters and prints, and Dortu numbers for paintings, are the standard authentication and valuation references
- Edition and state: trial proofs, early states, and deluxe editions with hand-coloring command significant premiums over standard editions
- Condition: foxing, tearing, fading, trimming, and later coloration are common issues for works on paper and posters from this period and materially affect value
- Subject matter: Moulin Rouge, Jane Avril, Aristide Bruant, and Yvette Guilbert imagery is among the most sought-after and carries a premium
- Provenance: documented ownership through recognized collections, galleries, or museum deaccession increases market confidence and price

### Collector notes

- Many lots labelled Toulouse-Lautrec are posthumous restrikes, reproduction posters, or works 'after' the artist—verify catalogue raisonné entries before purchase
- Lifetime lithographic posters in good condition are the most accessible entry point, with recent auction prices ranging from $3,500 to $20,000 for well-known subjects
- Ceramics are rare but can command five-figure sums; the Yvette Guilbert earthenware realized $138,600 at Christie's in May 2025
- Works appearing at regional or generalist auction houses should be approached with extra caution, as misattributions and decorative copies are common in this artist's market

### Market caveats

- The record set mixes lifetime impressions, posthumous restrikes, reproduction posters, and works 'after' Toulouse-Lautrec—price statistics span all tiers and should not be averaged without segmenting by medium and edition
- Toulouse-Lautrec is among the most widely reproduced and faked late-19th-century artists; attribution verification through catalogue raisonné entries is essential before any appraisal
- The recent 12-month lot count (230) is lower than the prior period (397), which may reflect market softening, data lag, or cyclical auction scheduling rather than a definitive trend
- The $22.4 million maximum price represents a single major oil painting and is not representative of the broader market, which is dominated by posters and prints at far lower price points

### Market evidence sources

- Appraisily auction record index: https://appraisily.com/api/scraper-search/artists/henri-de-toulouse-lautrec/seo-profile?recentLimit=24&relatedLimit=0
- Invaluable (Christie's lot: Yvette Guilbert earthenware ceramic, $138,600): https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-henri-de-toulouse-lautrec-1864-1901-yvette-guilbert-white-earthenware-c-385-c-b67402c8f0
- Invaluable (Poster Auctions International lot: Reine de Joie, $20,000): https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-henri-de-toulouse-lautrec-reine-de-joie-vintage-poster-229-c-fd90ca5c61
- Invaluable (Poster Auctions International lot: The Chap Book, $20,000): https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-henri-de-toulouse-lautrec-the-chap-book-160-c-879456a9f4
- Invaluable (Poster Auctions International lot: May Belfort, $11,000): https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-henri-de-toulouse-lautrec-may-belfort-vintage-poster-228-c-2ae7821283
- Invaluable (Poster Auctions International lot: Une Redoute au Moulin Rouge, $10,000): https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-henri-de-toulouse-lautrec-une-redoute-au-moulin-rouge-232-c-4ff100c900
- Invaluable (Poster Auctions International lot: L'Estampe Originale, no price): https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-henri-de-toulouse-lautrec-l-estampe-originale-vintage-poster-226-c-3bcc88beb7
- Invaluable (Poster Auctions International lot: Elles vintage poster, no price): https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-henri-de-toulouse-lautrec-elles-vintage-poster-189-c-cd0a705dd3
- Invaluable (Poster Auctions International lot: Babylone d'Allemagne, no price): https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-henri-de-toulouse-lautrec-babylone-d-allemagne-vintage-poster-186-c-7b3754f008
- Invaluable (Hammersite lot: Au Cirque book, 1905, no price): https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-henri-de-toulouse-lautrec-1864-1901-antique-book-au-cirque-at-the-circus-paris-1905-78-c-0308188385

## Appraisily data basis

This artist page draws on identity and biographical records from the Library of Congress, VIAF, RKD, Wikidata, and the Museum of Modern Art, combined with Appraisily's auction-record database covering nearly twelve thousand lots. Appraisal guidance incorporates documented sale history, catalogue raisonné references, and established medium and edition conventions. When available, comparable auction results, provenance records, and condition reports further inform value context.

## Sources

- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q82445
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henri_de_Toulouse-Lautrec
- VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/32003649/
- Library of Congress: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n79045509
- The Museum of Modern Art: https://www.moma.org/artists/5910
- Tate: https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/henri-de-toulouse-lautrec-2058
- RKD (Netherlands Institute for Art History): https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/78002