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Photograph by Hyde Staff
Program for “Le Chariot de terre cuite” (“The Little Clay Cart”)
Photograph by Hyde Staff

Program for “Le Chariot de terre cuite” (“The Little Clay Cart”)

Artist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec French, 1864 - 1901
Date1895
MediumLithograph in two colors
DimensionsOverall: 21 1/8 × 14 7/8 in. (53.7 × 37.8 cm)
Matboard: 23 × 16 1/2 in. (58.4 × 41.9 cm)
ClassificationsPrints
Credit LineThe Sparling Family Collection
Object number2025.1.77
On View
On view
SignedBottom left corner of print: Lautrec's red initial stamp Left of center along the bottom edge of the print: Lautrec's initial stamp in blue
MarkingsOn front bottom left corner in pencil: "L. D. 77" and "T. Lautrec" On front bottom right corner in pencil: "No 6 Programme du Chariot de Terre Cuite" On verso bottom left corner in pencil: "D77" On verso near bottom right corner in pencil: "Litho originale de Toulouse Lautrec Tirage d'en [?] R[?]" and "449 u777" On verso bottom right corner in pencil: "D77"
DescriptionBlue print of a theater program. On the left side of the print, a darker blue tree trunk or column spans from the top to bottom of the image. The column is decorated with vines that have flowers and leaves at their ends. In the center of the column, a small rectangular area is left white to create space for the details of the play. Printed in French are the title, date, characters, and actors are all listed, along with a note at the bottom that the play was "formerly in India.” On the right side of this print, a man stands in a howdah atop an elephant. The man is standing in profile and is dressed in a loose robe with both of his arms extended straight out in front of him. His proper right hand is fully open with all fingers seen, while his proper left hand has his thumb tucked in and the other four fingers bent forward slightly. The howdah/carriage he rides in looks like the top of an ionic column flipped upside down, with a curved edge going inward into a spiral shape. The center of the carriage has decorations that are roughly outlined and appear to have a bird in the center. The elephant below wears a headband across its forehead and seems to be turning inward towards the blue column. Only one eye and tusk of the elephant are visible. Below the elephant's feet are five characters in dark blue.

The program was done for the Théâtre de l’Œuvre for a production of January 22, 1895, a play adapted from the ancient Indian Mric' Chakatika. Lautrec's image shows Félix Fenéon, art critic of La Revue Blanche, standing in a howdah atop an elephant, introducing the play to the audience.Exhibition History"French Prints from the Tobin Sparling Collection," The Hyde Collection, Hoopes Gallery, Feb. 14-July 26, 2026.ProvenanceC. & J. Goodfriend, New York City; purchased by Tobin Sparling, Little Rock, Arkansas, March 13, 2008; given to The Hyde Collection, Glens Falls, New York, 2025.