Henri Toulouse-Lautrec (1864-1901)
French-born aristocratic artist Henri Marie Raymond de Toulouse-Lautrec-Monfa, better known simply as
Toulouse-Lautrec, lived primarily in Paris during his short life that lasted from 1864 to 1901. He started sketching
and painting at the early age of eight years, and although his artistic career ended up spanning only 20 years,
during that time he created more than 730 paintings, 275 watercolors, over 360 prints and posters, more than
5,000 drawings, plus works in ceramic and stained glass.
Napoleon Bonaparte 1895 O
lithograph (after the poster). Beautifully printed in Paris in 1951 by Mourlot Freres, this multi-stone color
lithograph faithfully reproduces the original Toulouse-Lautrec poster in a smaller-size format. The total sheet
(including margins) measures 12 1/2 x 9 3/4 inches (320 x 248mm). Signed in the stone with the ToulouseLautrec monogram signature (not hand-signed). A fine impression, as can be expected from the legendary
Mourlot atelier!
An aristocratic, alcoholic dwarf known for his louche lifestyle, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec created art that was
inseparable from his legendary life. His career lasted just over a decade and coincided with two major
developments in late nineteenth-century Paris: the birth of modern printmaking and the explosion of nightlife
culture. Lautrec’s posters promoted Montmartre entertainers as celebrities, and elevated the popular medium of
the advertising lithograph to the realm of high art. His paintings of dancehall performers and prostitutes are
personal and humanistic, revealing the sadness and humour hidden beneath rice powder and gaslights.
Though he died tragically young (at age thirty-six) due to complications from alcoholism and syphilis, his
influence was long-las Lautrec’s legs ceased growing after he broke both his femur bones in separate, minor
accidents during his adolescence. As an adult, Lautrec had a normally proportioned upper body, but the stubby
legs of a dwarf; his mature height was barely five feet, and he walked with great difficulty using a cane. Lautrec
compensated for his physical deformities with alcohol and an acerbic, self-deprecating wit. His sympathy and
fascination for the marginal in society, as well as his keen caricaturist’s eye, may be partly explained by his own
physical handicap.