Printmaker Louis Legrand was born in Dijon in 1863. He studied at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Dijon while working as a bank clerk and subsequently moved to Paris where he worked as a caricaturist and satirist for La Journee, Le Journal Amusant, and Courrier Francais. Two of his satirical drawings precipitated an obscenity lawsuit against Legrand, who was acquitted, convicted on appeal by the state, and sentenced for a brief term for refusing to pay the fine.

He subsequently met the Belgian artist Felicien Rops, who taught Legrand the etching process. He used these new skills to produce images based on the night life of Montmartre in all its flavors for various French journals with particular emphasis on dancers, both established and aspirant, Parisian café life, and the social scenes of the day. In addition, he illustrated a number of editions of novels by leading 19th century American and European authors. In 1906, Legrand was made a knight of the Légion d’Honneur. He died in Livry-Gargan, France in 1951.