157 - Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864–1901)

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864–1901) Oscar Wilde and Romain Coolus – “Raphaël” by Romain Coolus; “Salomé” by Oscar Wilde. (Program for the Théâtre de l’œuvre). 1896. Lithograph. [503 x 326 mm]. Delteil 195; Wittrock 146; Aitken 80. Print on thin, glossy ivory-colored vellum, featuring an advertisement for *La Revue encyclopédique* and the cast list. Horizontal and vertical center folds with a small hole in the center. Pin holes in the corners. A few small tears and missing pieces in the corners and along the edges of the sheet. All margins intact. Rare: 13 prints in public collections according to Wittrock. The performance took place on February 11, 1896, at the Comédie Parisienne. Wilde’s play, *Salomé*, was written in French and published in 1891. At the time Lautrec created this program, the English author was serving a harsh sentence of two years of hard labor followed by imprisonment, following his conviction on May 25, 1895.