Born into the aristocracy, Toulouse-Lautrec broke both his legs around the time of his adolescence and, possibly due to the rare condition pycnodysostosis , was very short as an adult due to his undersized legs. In addition to alcoholism, he developed an affinity for brothels and prostitutes that directed the subject matter for many of his works, which record details of the lateth-century bohemian lifestyle in Paris.
His younger brother was born in but died the following year. Both sons enjoyed the titres de courtoisie of Comte. After the death of his brother, Toulouse-Lautrec's parents separated, and a nanny cared for him. Some of Toulouse-Lautrec's early paintings are of horses, a speciality of Princeteau's and a subject Toulouse-Lautrec later revisited in his "Circus Paintings". In , Toulouse-Lautrec returned to Albi because his mother had concerns about his health. Toulouse-Lautrec's parents were first cousins their mothers were sisters , [ 9 ] and his congenital health conditions have often been attributed to a family history of inbreeding.
At the age of 13, Toulouse-Lautrec fractured his right femur , and at age 14, he fractured his left femur. Modern physicians attribute this to an unknown genetic disorder , possibly pycnodysostosis sometimes known as Toulouse-Lautrec Syndrome , [ 12 ] [ 13 ] or a variant disorder along the lines of osteopetrosis , achondroplasia , or osteogenesis imperfecta. He returned to Paris in Studying with Bonnat placed Toulouse-Lautrec in the heart of Montmartre, an area he rarely left over the next 20 years.
After Bonnat took a new job, Toulouse-Lautrec moved to the studio of Fernand Cormon in and studied for a further five years and established the group of friends he kept for the rest of his life. Cormon, whose instruction was more relaxed than Bonnat's, allowed his pupils to roam Paris, looking for subjects to paint. During this period, Toulouse-Lautrec had his first encounter with a prostitute reputedly sponsored by his friends , which led him to paint his first painting of a prostitute in Montmartre , a woman rumoured to be Marie-Charlet.
In , Toulouse-Lautrec met Suzanne Valadon. He made several portraits of her and supported her ambition as an artist. It is believed that they were lovers and that she wanted to marry him. Their relationship ended, and Valadon attempted suicide in He made several landscapes of Montmartre.
