Monaco, Monte-Carlo. Chemins de Fer P.L.M.

A young woman in a light dress, with her hands on her cheeks, gazes wide-eyed in rapture.
Spring flowers intertwine around her in flowing curves.

Paris, 1897.
Alphonse Mucha was at the height of his fame.

Just three years prior, he had been an unknown painter.
His fate changed the day after Christmas in 1894,
with an urgent commission from the actress Sarah Bernhardt.

The theater posters he created captivated the public with their groundbreaking novelty.
People were so enthusiastic that they tore posters from the streets at night to take them home.
Overnight, he became the darling of the era.

Mucha secured financial stability by signing an exclusive contract with a printing company.
Then, a major commission came to the star artist:
an offer for a promotional poster from the Paris-Lyon-Mediterranean Railway.

At the time, there was a trend among Europe's privileged classes and cultural figures:
escaping the cold, dark Parisian winter
and traveling by long-distance train to the warm and glamorous South of France.

A journey of over 12 hours on a luxurious sleeper train.
It was a status symbol everyone yearned for.
The railway company wanted to promote this 'luxurious getaway'.