What subjects did Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec portray in the Elles series?

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Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec: At the Moulin Rouge — Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec *At the Moulin Rouge*, oil on canvas by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, 1892–95; in the Art Institute of Chicago.

In his 1896 series titled Elles, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec focused on the lives of prostitutes, providing a sensitive and humanizing portrayal of their daily existence within brothels.1

Rather than focusing on the sensational or the ideal, the series depicts these women as individuals with the same strengths and weaknesses as any other member of society. Through his observations, Toulouse-Lautrec captured moments of isolation, loneliness, and the everyday reality of their environment, aiming to depict the truth of their lives rather than a glamorized version. A notable example from this genre is his work Au salon de la rue des Moulins (At the Salon), which highlights the artist's profound insight into the psychological makeup of his subjects.1