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Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec

Le Suisse, Menu

1896
Color lithograph on ivory wove paper
37 × 26.3 cm (14.6 × 10.4 in)

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In the collection of Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago · as of July 2026

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FROM THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO’S CATALOG

The self-referential illustration for this menu, likely designed for a rambunctious stag party in honor of Georges Lasserre on December 22, 1896, epitomizes debauchery. Lasserre and a courtesan, outfitted only in a corset and bloomers, toast their neighbors and cavort beside a spilling bottle. An actor portraying a soldier floats above the dinner table, a curiously upright figure in an otherwise disorderly scene.

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