Mucha™ as a Trademark

Mucha’s advertising posters reflect the rich texture of modern life in Belle Époque Paris. The subjects range from diverse consumer products to cultural events and tourism.

In addition to the “Gismonda” prototype (tall with a ration of 3:1), Mucha began to use a new format for these posters: oblong with a ratio of 3:2, with more articulated use of circular motifs and combined with other decorative features such as flowers, mosaics, and flowing strands of women’s hair.

This study was made for the poster promoting Lance Parfum “Rodo”, a new brand of perfume by La Société Chimique des Usines du Rhône, which appeared in the market in 1896. 

Mucha’s composition shows a woman squirting the perfume at her handkerchief from the spray bottle, the key feature of this product and the novelty at the time. 

Behind her is a circular motif decorated with mosaic and floral pattern.

This design was also used for the label and the case of the perfume which enhanced the brand image of the product.

Mucha produced two versions of posters for "JOB" cigarette papers – one in 1896 and the other in 1898, shown here.

Both posters feature the prominent figure of a sensuous woman against a background patterned with the "JOB" monogram (a trademark for the Joseph Bardou Company).

In this design, the woman is seated against an enormous circle, while the arabesques formed by her abundant hair and the swirling smoke rising from her cigarette create a richly decorative efffect.

‘La Trappistine’ was a liqueur made by Parisian distillers, Legouey & Delbergue, from a recipe inspired by Trappist monks. 

In designing this poster, Mucha used the same design formula as that of the “Gismonda” prototype with its tall format and the single figure of a woman on a raised platform.

Furthermore, Mucha also introduced an idea of visual navigation here, with the use of a long strand of the woman’s hair that hangs down to guide the viewer’s eyes to the subject—a bottle of La Trappistine.

Calendar for 1898
Colour lithograph, 1897

Designed for the railway company Chemins de Fer P.L.M., which offered a trip from Paris to Monte-Carlo in 16 hours by luxury train, this poster shows a girl daydreaming about the pleasure of Monte-Carlo.

The joy of tourism is emphasised by the sumptuous garlands and curving stems of flowers, which possibly allude to the wheels of the train and the tracks...

Colour lithograph, 1898

Mucha´s fame as a poster artist led him to receive commissions to design product packaging and ornamental objects. In 1896, while he was working on the poster for Lance Parfum "Rodo", he was also asked to design the label and the box for the perfume bottle.

In the same year, he began to work with Lefèvre-Utile, and he produced a number of designs for the company’s promotional materials as well as biscuits tins, labels and box wrappers. 

As exemplified by these works, Mucha was conscious about linking his packaging designs with his posters by using the same images of women as "characters" of the products and the same style of lettering for the texts. 

Colour lithograph, 1897

Earthenware plate manufactured by Georges Dreyfus, Paris, after Mucha's design, 1897

Earthenware plate manufactured by Georges Dreyfus, Paris, after Mucha's design, 1897

Plywood box with label containing six glass perfume filled phials, c.1896