French artist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864 – 1901) vividly depicted the revelry of 19th century Parisian nightlife in paintings and posters. After injuring both legs in his early teens, Toulouse-Lautrec immersed himself in art while he recovered. He later entered the bohemian world of Paris’ Montmartre, painting its colorful cross-section of inhabitants, circuses, dance halls, nightclubs and racetracks. Toulouse-Lautrec began to exhibit widely, and Vincent Van Gogh’s brother Theo was one of his biggest supporters. While institutionalized for alcoholism, he created an extraordinary group of circus drawings which he created solely from memory.

A hand-made lithograph is a print made by drawing with an oily substance on porous stone or metal plates. Oil-based ink applied to the moistened stone adheres only to the lines drawn. The plates are then pressed onto paper to produce the final print.