ALPHONSE MUCHA (1860-1939) THE SEASONS. Group of four calendar sheets. 1904. 18x10 inches, 46x25 cm. Condition B+: creases and abrasions in margins. Paper. Such was Mucha's success with his first series of decorative panels depicting The Seasons (1896) that American printers scrambled to market the images. The Ketterlinus Lithographic Manufacturing Company in Philadelphia used the images on a company calendar in 1897 (Rennert/ Weill 18 var. 4), and in 1902 the "Carriage Dealers / Philadelphia Exposition" also appropriated one of his images for their promotion (Rennert / Weill 18 var. 5). In 1904 another American printing firm went so far as to publish the full series, each printed individually within a gilt border. Each month is accompanied by a verse, one each by Longfellow, Whittier, Lowell and William Motherwell. Previously unrecorded. Rare.
