Important French painter and printmaker (1864-1901) whose lively, colorful portrayals of the people and places of fin-de-siècle Paris take a place among the most iconic images of the era. Toulouse-Lautrec's immersion in art stemmed largely from his isolation following a disfiguring teenage accident that failed to heal properly, preventing his legs from growing further while his torso continued to develop normally. ALS in French, four pages on two adjoining sheets, 4.25 x 6.75, no date. Untranslated handwritten letter to his mother, signed at the conclusion in English, "Your boy, Harry," at the end of the postscript with his initial, "H." In fine condition.
Toulouse-Lautrec first began to exhibit his paintings in a Montmartre cabaret in 1884. Described by the contemporary critic Gustave Geffroy as 'the quintessential chronicler of Paris,' Toulouse-Lautrec enjoyed critical acclaim and his work was sought after by collectors. The painter was particularly close to his mother, Adèle Tapié de Celeyran, who had long supported his artistic ambitions and was a frequent correspondent. By 1893, he was crippled by alcoholism and moved in with his mother while being spurned by other family members for his drunken behavior and the subjects of his paintings. In 1899, she abruptly left Paris, which prompted him to suffer a mental collapse and he was committed to a sanatorium.
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