Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec was one of the more notable characters in Paris during decadence of la fin de siècle, with his small stature and his frequent appearances in the various brothels and bars around town. He was also a painter, and many of his portraits of the various stars, including those from the Moulin Rouge, have helped to define the aesthetic of the time period. Released by Frémeaux & Associes,
Toulouse-Lautrec celebrates the artist's life, with performances, recorded between 1895 and 1934, from some of the singers he immortalized with his paintbrush, including
Yvette Guilbert, Mireille Berthon, Eugenie Buffet, Vanni-Marcoux, and
Aristide Bruant. As the songs were originally recorded so long ago, the sound quality is fairly poor, with the hiss often as loud as the music itself, but it's still all audible. Even more importantly, it's an interesting look at firsthand sources from the belle époque and the life and the people that surrounded Monsieur Toulouse-Lautrec. ~ Marisa Brown