Sarah Bernhardt by Mucha

Yellow and brown illustration of actress Sarah Bernhardt wearing a crown of lillies, surrounded by filagree and art nouveau-style lettering [reproduction of a poster by artist Alphonse Mucha]

Sarah Bernhardt (1844-1923) was a French actress and artist, working primarily in the late 19th to early 20th century. Bernhardt was an accomplished stage actress with a career spanning over 60 years during which she led an international theater company and starred in both female and male roles. She expanded her career by becoming a well renowned sculpture artist, exhibiting work at the Paris Salon for years. A devoted artist and supporter, she specialized in sculptural works with a focus on marble busts, as well as costume and set design. 

In 1894, Bernhardt hired Alphonse Mucha, a leading figure of the Art Nouveau movement, to design her theater posters. She is often portrayed in Mucha’s work wearing floral headpieces and patterned drapery. Due to their collaboration, she is identified as a key symbolic figure and in the Art Nouveau movement. Towards the end of her career she began starring in silent films, such as La voyante and Adrienne Lecouvreur, becoming a pioneer in early cinematic history.