ALPHONSE MUCHA (1860-1939) SARAH BERNHARDT / AMERICAN TOUR. 1896. 78 3/4x30 inches, 200x76 1/4 cm. The Strobridge Lith, Co, Cincinnati. Condition B- / B: replaced corners and part of left margin, affecting image; restored losses, repaired tears, overpainting, creases and abrasions in margins and image. Three-sheets. During Christmas, 1894, Mucha changed history by designing his first poster for Sarah Bernhardt. Just over a year later, the great actress began a six month American tour, for which she chose to reuse the now-famous original image, altering it slightly. Printed in America by the renowned Strobridge lithography company, the poster lacks the original title, "Gismonda," at the top and has different text at the bottom. Rennert / Weill 3 (var. 2), Lendl 13.
