Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec was born on November 24th 1864, in Albi, France. He was an aristocrat, the son and heir of Comte Alphonse-Charles
de Toulouse and last in line of a family that dated back a thousand years.
If you like the belle époque posters of brothels and bars in Montmartre that Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec
produced, you will love Albi. Lautrec led a rather riotous existence in the Moulin Rouge area of Paris, hanging out with Can-Can dancers and prostitutes, and drinking himself into an early grave. The
Musée Toulouse Lautrec is a slightly absurd building called the “Palais de la Berbie”, a 13th century red-brick castle with parapets and walkways that
afford fabulous views out into the countryside and over the river’s several bridges, it also houses the largest collection of his sketches, paintings, posters and lithographs (from all periods of
his life) in the world.
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- Lautrec sitting for a self-portrait. This trick photo
was taken by Maurice Guibert circa 1890.
It would be so easy to do it on your computer
these days, but back then, it was a real magic trick! |
