Toulmouche Le Billet 1883 - Public domain scenic painting

Auguste Toulmouche (1829–1890) was a French painter known for his luxurious portraits of Parisian women. Auguste Toulmouche was born in Nantes to Émile Toulmouche, a well-to-do broker, and Rose Sophie Mercier. He studied drawing and sculpture locally with the sculptor Amédée Ménard and painting with the portraitist Biron before moving to Paris in 1846 to study with the painter Charles Gleyre. He was said to be one of Gleyre's favored students, and he exhibited his first paintings at the Paris Salon in 1848 when he was just 19. He exhibited again in 1849 and 1850, by which time he has begun to specialize in portraits.