A background about the art style - "At the turn of the century, the posters decorating the streets of Paris were the art of the common people. The appearance of a new Mucha, Lautrec, or Cheret was a cause celebre throughout the city. The poster craze of La Belle Epoque was caused in part by modern innovations in lithography and printing that made it possible to reproduce quality posters in large quantities. The masses responded to artists like Mucha who popularized commercial style that came to be known as Art Nouveau"

Some detail about the artist - "Alphonse Mucha was born in Czechoslovakia in July 1860. He was nineteen when he applied to be an apprentice scenery painter in Vienna. When the theatre burned down he went to Munich to study art formally. He wanted to paint frescoes and portraits but was unable to support himself with fine art commissions. Instead he illustrated short stories for a pulp fiction magazine. It was during this time that he shared a studio with Gauguin and began to study photography. Then, on Christmas Eve of 1894, Mucha was correcting proofs at a printing press for her play Gismonda. She wanted the poster by New Years Eve. Since Mucha was the most available artist the printer could find, he was sent directly to the theatre. The Divine Sarah was so pleased with the final product that she singed Mucha to a six year contract. This was the beginning of his success as a commercial artist. He did a total of nine posters for Bernhardt, as well as designing her jewelry, costumes, and stage scenery. Her endorsement and the popularity of subsequent Bernhardt posters brought in a flood of commissions from printers all over France."

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