Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec

Toulouse-Lautrec came from an ancient aristocratic family in the south of France. As a teenager he broke both legs, which then stopped growing; as an adult he stood only about 1.5 metres tall, probably because of a hereditary condition.

He settled in Montmartre, frequenting cabarets, bars and brothels, and captured the dancers, singers and audiences of Paris nightlife with incisive line. His lithographic posters for the Moulin Rouge and other venues raised the poster to an art form. Alcoholism ruined his health, and he died at thirty-six.