Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec was born to an aristocratic family in Albi, Tarn, France. His parent separated when he was young and he went to live with his mother in Paris. Toulouse-Lautrec suffered from a number of congenital health conditions likely due to inbreeding (his parents were first cousins). As a young teenager he broke both of his legs and while his torso continued to grow, his legs did not grow further.
In 1882 Toulouse-Lautrec moved back to Paris to study under the portrait painter Leon Bonnat and then eventually Fernand Cormon. Toulouse-Lautrec was introduced to the neighborhood of Montmartre where he would remain for the rest of his life.
Toulouse-Lautrec is best known for his paintings of circus life and performers in Paris, including a series of posters he made for the Moulin Rouge. He additionally painted studies of prostitutes and the cafe and bar scenes of Montmartre. Toulouse-Lautrec died at the age of 36 from complications due to alcoholism and syphilis.
