Louis Leon Ernest Fortune Andrieux was born in France in 1875. He was a student of fine arts in Toulouse, and moved to Paris at 20 years old. Due to an artist with a similar name, he took on the pseudonym of Louis Fortuney. While in Paris, he befriended many artists such as Toulouse Lautrec, Gervex, Sisley or even Renoir who introduced him to the bohemian life and help him perfect his talents as an illustrator of everyday life in the Belle Epoque. Greatly inspired by these artists, he mastered the the handling of pastel. Louis Fortuney is most noted for his many genre scenes representing women in the streets of Paris, elegant women in colorful hats and ribbons.