Themes

Poster for 'La Trappistine' (1897)

The style developed in Mucha's posters for Sarah Bernhardt is applied to this poster, which advertises a liqueur made by Parisian distillers, Legouey & Delbergue.

Here the graceful figure of a young woman dominates the composition against a halo decorated with circular motifs which became one of the characteristics of Mucha’s style. In this design, the hair is entirely orderly but a single thick strand hangs down, leading the viewer’s eyes to the low table where she holds the bottle of La Trappistine.

As in other advertising posters, Mucha used the image of the woman tactically, as a medium for communication, first to draw the viewer’s attention with her striking features and then to send an alluring message about the commercial product that she embodies.