At the Moulin Rouge

On this day in 1864, Henri Marie Raymond de Toulouse-Lautrec-Monfa, also known as Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec was born. He was a painter, printmaker, draftsman, caricaturist, and illustrator whose immersion in the colorful and theatrical life of Paris in the late 19th century allowed him to produce a collection of enticing, elegant, and provocative images of the modern, sometimes decadent, affairs of those times.

So guess who are we presenting today! :D

Toulouse-Lautrec’s association with the Moulin Rouge began when it opened in 1889 and the owner bought as a decoration for the foyer the artist’s Equestrienne, also in the Art Institute of Chicago collection. Lautrec populated this scene with portraits of the habitués and regulars of the dance hall, including himself—the diminutive figure in the center background—accompanied by his cousin and frequent companion, the physician Gabriel Tapié de Céleyran. The woman on the right is the scandalous English singer May Milton. At some point, the artist or his dealer cut down the canvas to remove her from the composition, perhaps because her shocking appearance made the work hard to sell. In any case, by 1914 the cut section had been reattached to the painting.

Have a great Saturday—and maybe a great party like Toulouse-Lautrec used to! :)

Check also 10 photographic reasons why you should fall in love with Toulouse-Lautrec.