Henri Joseph Thomas (1878–1972)

Born in Saint-Jans-Molenbeek, he studied at the Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts in Brussels from 1895 until 1898. On graduation he started a studio in Brussels where he mainly worked as an illustrator of avant-garde books. His expositions in the Belle Époque include those at the Cercle Artistique et Littéraire in Brussels in 1906, 1909 and 1921, and at the Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts in Paris in 1906 and 1910. Thomas was a member of the Labeur Society for Fine Artists that organised annual expositions for its members in the Museum of Modern Arts (Musée Moderne) in Brussels between 1898 and 1907. He illustrated several risqué books including some well-known editions of erotic prints in the 1920s and 30s.