Toulouse-lautrec made this drawing as an illustration for an article on "summer in paris" published in paris illustré, a magazine popular among the middle classes. Although the article singled out the laundress as a charming object of the male gaze on the streets of the city, the stooping posture and dark-circled eyes of this figure give her a haggard look that invites comparison with the workhorse behind her. The sharp receding perspective emphasizes the act of street-level spectatorship. A man's top hat visible in the coach behind the woman alludes to her subservient social and sexual role. Object Type: drawing. Date: 1888. Place of creation: France, 19th century. Dimensions: Sheet: 75.9 x 63.1 cm (29 7/8 x 24 13/16 in.). Medium: gray wash. Collection: Cleveland Museum of Art. Clevelandart 1952.113
Loading...
