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ALPHONSE MUCHA (1860-1939)
102
●
LEFÈVRE - UTILE / SARAH BERNHARDT. 1903.
27
1
/
4
x20 inches, 69
1
/
4
x50
3
/
4
cm. F. Champenois, Paris.
Condition A-: minor staining in margins and image; with ribbon through holes at top for hanging, as
issued. Mounted to period board. Framed.
This poster was one of the last Mucha designed before he left Paris to live in the United States (1904-
1910). The idea of associating a celebrity portrait and testimonial with a product seems to have been
copied from Mariani, the advertising genius who used this formula to market his wine. For this poster,
Mucha depicts Sarah Bernhardt in her beloved role as
La Princess Lointaine
(a pose he had already
captured, in 1896, for
La Plume
). It is more of a painterly portrait than graphic art, but Mucha is at the
height of his artistic maturity and handles his subject splendidly, conveying a far more intimate image
of the actress than in any of his other posters. Her printed quotation, often mistaken for her actual
inscription and autograph on the poster, reads “I haven’t found anything better than a little LU - oh yes,
two little LU.” This is a
PREVIOUSLY UNRECORDED
format. Rennert / Weill 86, Lendl p. 75, Mucha
Grand Palais 301 (var), Mucha / Bridges C12.
[5,000/7,500]