Large color lithograph after a design by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec with the image of Aristide Bruant and the inscription "Ambassadeurs, Aristide Bruant, dans son cabaret". This engraving is originally from 1892, and was then printed by E. Encourt (see also the last photo with the imprint: EAW Encourt & Cie 83 rue St Denis). Toulouse-Lautrec was commissioned to create an advertising poster for the first performance of the singer Aristide Bruant at the trendy café "Ambassadeurs" on the Champs Elysee in Paris. The manager of this cafe hated this poster but Bruant thought it was a masterpiece and insisted that this poster be used...if not he refused to act! Two posters were hung on either side of the stage where Bruant performed...dozens of posters were distributed throughout Paris. Toulouse-Lautrec was never paid to create this poster, yet it became one of the most famous posters of the period and is a good example of the unique style that Toulouse-Lautrec introduced at the beginning of this Belle-Epoque with the atmosphere and ambiance that clearly reflects the decadence of that time. Aristide Bruant (1864-1925) was a composer and singer in Paris. In 1885 he opened the "Mirliton" on Montmartre, in the former building of the "Chat Noir". In his cabaret he was a lecturer and he usually made songs in the language of the common people... usually at the expense of the audience. He published the magazine "Le Mirliton" containing reproductions of works of art by Toulouse-Lautrec and Théophile Steinlen, among others, to enhance his own songs. He also hung work by all these artists in his cabaret. In 1892, Bruant was the main attraction of Montmartre in the "Ambassadeurs". This poster is from the 1960s and beautifully printed as a color lithograph at almost half the original size (original: 150 x 100 cm, this version: 90 x 60 cm), the original version was printed on two sheets .