449. HENRI DE TOULOUSE-LAUTREC (1864-1901) Diminutive French painter of Parisian cabaret entertainers and night life, renowned for his posters and over three hundred lithographs. Superb content hand-illustrated A.L.S. "Henri", 4pp. 8vo., [n.p., n.d., likely Paris], in French to his mother. In part: "...I don't have much to tell you...I have worked like a egro having to keep watch over 3 machines and working flat on my back under the Printing Press. I've finally finished and believe I have success at hand. Raoul has just announced to me his marriage, you must have heard of it. That is good. It is still better than to remain stagnant...tell me if I can quickly send you little Dora [his dog]. Mercy obliges me to remove her at once, for the neighbors have tried to poison her older sister and her mother - it would be regrettable. I will send her to you quickly and you can pick her up on the morning train. Boulett will only be kind to her because they are the same sex, but I would pity future burglars who would venture in your corridors-her father is a formidable watchdog..." At the top of the first page, the artist has drawn a shirt detailing buttons, sleeves and collar. He asks that his mother have six red flannel shirts of that design made for him, and to make sure that the button holes are horizontal. Very good condition. The "Raoul" mentioned in the letter is likely Raoul Tapi, Lautrec's cousin. Lautrec's letters are rare-illustrated examples exceedingly so. $5,000-7,000