Bottini (1874-1907) was a Belle Époque French artist centered in Montmartre, known for his graphic, colorful artworks depicting scenes from cafés, bars, theatres, dance halls and brothels. Bottini initially worked as an art restorer and spent innumerable hours working with Old Master works by Goya, Rembrandt, Watteau and others. He was heavily influenced by Japanese prints and often looked to his contemporaries Constantin Guys, Manet and Degas--he also spent evenings perusing late-night haunts with Toulouse-Lautrec (who he was clearly influenced by).

He was included in a group exhibition in 1899 entitled "Bals, bars, théâtres et maisons closes," which gave him some acclaim during his lifetime. Bottini had two v...