Jean Louis Forain (French, 1852–1931) was known for his paintings, lithographs, watercolors, and etchings. Forain was born in Reims, and moved to Paris during his childhood where he studied at the École des Beaux Arts with Jean-Léon Gérôme. Part of the Paris scene, Forain was close friends with Edgar Degas, with whom he shared a love of ballet, as well as several prominent poets and writers, such as Arthur Rimbaud, Paul Verlaine, and Joris-Karl Huysmans. At Degas' invitation, Forain participated in four Impressionist exhibitions between 1879 and 1886. Influenced by Impressionist theories on light and color, Forain's work depicts scenes of modern Parisian nightlife, entertainment, racetracks, and cafes. Working during a time when France was going through major sociopolitical transformations, Forain began addressing more political subjects later in his life, and published numerous drawings and illustrations in major periodicals. Forain's work was recently exhibited at the Petit Palais in Paris, and the Dixon Museum in Memphis. His work is part of major museum collections around the world, such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, The Louvre in Paris, the Courtauld Institute in London, and the Brooklyn Museum in New York.