"Toulouse-Lautrec's depictions of French fin de siècle urban life frequently portrayed scenes from brothels and cabaret clubs, including the Moulin Rouge, where he had a seat reserved after producing a series of promotional posters for the club’s opening in 1888.  His career coincided with two major developments in late nineteenth-century Paris: the birth of modern printmaking and the explosion of nightlife culture.  Part of Paris' thriving social shift was the 'fashionable Nouveau Cirque...the most elegant and innovative circus of the French capital—and, for that matter, of Europe. For many years, it was the High Society’s circus of choice.'  Much of Nouveau Cirque's success can be attributed to its clown acts, most notably by George Foottit, Tony Grice, "Boum-Boum" Medrano, Alexandre Pierantoni and his partner, the Spanish clown Saltamontes and, of course, Chocolat, among others." (circopedia.com, Nouveau Cirque, and, Foottit et Chocolat)