Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864-1901) French, 1898 First State Etching. Title: "Portrait De Monsieur X." Signed by the artist on the plate. Comes with certificate of authenticity and prior sales record for provenance. 

Overall Size: 15 1/4 x 13 in. 

Sight Size: 6 1/2 x 4 1/4 in. 

Comte Henri Marie Raymond de Toulouse-Lautrec-Monfa, known simply as Toulouse-Lautrec, was born on November 24th, 1864 in Albi, France, into an aristocratic family, but the early death of his younger brother and subsequent separation of his parents led him to live with his mother in Paris at age eight, where he began sketching and received informal lessons from René Princeteau. After breaking both femurs at thirteen he retained child-sized legs while developing a normal torso, resulting in his famously short stature. Toulouse-Lautrec studied under Léon Bonnat and later Fernand Cormon, forming lifelong friendships with artists such as Émile Bernard and Vincent van Gogh. Immersed in Montmartre’s bohemian scene, he was fascinated by cabarets, brothels, and prostitutes, particularly his muse Mireille, and these subjects dominated his work. His first exhibition was in 1885 at Aristide Bruant’s Mirliton, and he gained prominence through posters for the Moulin Rouge and illustrations for Le Rire, but despite his talent his life was marred by alcoholism and declining health, exacerbated by syphilis. He died at age thirty-six on September 9th, 1901, having produced an astonishing 6,000 works in his tragically short life, profoundly influencing Post-Impressionism, modern poster art, and advertising, and remains celebrated for his evocative depictions of Parisian nightlife, theatricality, and the human figure.

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