Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec sketched this when he was being hosted by Thadée and Misia Natanson for dinner.

Misia commands the scene in the middle: as one half of the ruling couple of Paris’ intellectual elite, she was painted by many artists and even inspired several characters written by Marcel Proust. She was a wonderful pianist and was always beautifully dressed.

Her husband, with his back to the audience, founded the art and literary magazine “La Revue Blanche” along with his brothers. It ran from 1889 to 1903.

On the left, with his red beard, sits the artist Édouard Vuillard. He was in love with Misia, and though he couldn’t be with her, he depicted her many times.