Lithograph poster · Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec · 1891
Toulouse-Lautrec, Moulin Rouge: La Goulue (1891)
Moulin Rouge: La Goulue is Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec's first poster, a colour lithograph of 1891 advertising the dancer La Goulue at the Moulin Rouge cabaret in Montmartre. Lautrec died in 1901 and the poster is in the public domain.
History
The Moulin Rouge opened in 1889 and hired the 27-year-old Lautrec to replace an earlier poster by Jules Chéret. He answered with a design that owed as much to Japanese prints as to French poster art: flat colour, a silhouetted crowd and a daring cropped figure in the foreground. The dancer is Louise Weber, called La Goulue ('the glutton'), the star of the house's can-can; the long grey figure in front is her partner Valentin le Désossé ('the boneless').
Printed in about three thousand copies by Charles Lévy and pasted up across Paris in the autumn of 1891, it made Lautrec famous almost overnight; he made some thirty more posters in the next decade. Impressions are held by many museums, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
What the print shows
La Goulue in a white blouse and red stockings, mid-kick, with Valentin in profile in the foreground, against a black frieze of top-hatted spectators and the yellow globes of the hall's lamps. The lettering MOULIN ROUGE is repeated three times in red at the top, with 'La Goulue' and the words 'bal tous les soirs' below. The poster is tall and narrow (about 191 by 117 cm in the original); the print is offered in 2 : 3 sizes up to 30 by 40 inches.
Source and licence
Source: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (Open Access).
Licence: Public domain. The artist died in 1901; museum impressions of the poster are published under Creative Commons Zero (CC0), so the design may be reproduced freely.
Also a digital download and in the Vintage Masterpieces set.
Available sizes and prices
Print: paper or framed Etsy listing 4547504336
| Size | Paper | Framed |
|---|---|---|
| 8 × 12 in (21 × 30 cm) | $29.99 | $98.99 |
| 12 × 18 in (30 × 45 cm) | $44.99 | $137.99 |
| 16 × 24 in (40 × 60 cm) | $54.99 | $195.99 |
| 24 × 36 in (60 × 90 cm) | $69.99 | $332.99 |
| 28 × 40 in (70 × 100 cm) | — | $447.99 |
| 30 × 40 in (75 × 100 cm) | $123.99 | — |
Digital download Etsy listing 4557522325
$5.99: 300 DPI files on your Etsy downloads page the moment payment clears; nothing is shipped.
Printed to order, shipped in 2–5 business days, free US shipping. Paper: matte fine-art paper. Framed: real wood (black, white, wood, dark wood), shatterproof acrylic, ready to hang.
Buy
- Toulouse-Lautrec Moulin Rouge La Goulue 1891 (print: paper or framed): buy on Etsy, from $29.99.
- Moulin Rouge (digital download): buy on Etsy, $5.99.
- Also in the Vintage Masterpieces Set of 8 download set, $17.99.
Frequently asked questions
- Who is La Goulue?
- Louise Weber (1866–1929), the most famous can-can dancer of the Moulin Rouge in the early 1890s. Her nickname means 'the glutton'.
- Who is the man in the foreground of the poster?
- Valentin le Désossé (Jacques Renaudin), La Goulue's dance partner, known for his tall, loose-limbed figure; Lautrec drew him as a grey silhouette.
- Was this Lautrec's first poster?
- Yes. Commissioned by the Moulin Rouge in 1891, it was printed in about three thousand copies and made his name in Paris.
- What sizes does the print come in?
- Paper and framed prints from A4 (listed as 8 by 12) up to 30 by 40 inches, and a digital download; prices are listed on this page.
Sources
Published 20 Oct 2026; prices are the live Etsy prices as of 20 Oct 2026. The work is public domain; this page's text is © ThinkDotCo and may be quoted with a link.