Plate: PL. 166

"La Samaritaine (Woman of Samaria) was a play with a biblical theme, written by Edmond Rostand for Miss. Bernhardt and introduced by her during the Easter season of 1897. She played Photina, a girl from the Samaria district of ancient Palestine, who become a supporter of Jesus and leads her whole tribe in converting to Christianity. For his poster, Mucha chose a scene from the second act in which the girl carries around a large water jar…Edmond Rostand was one of several playwrights who became admirers as well as lovers of Sarah Bernhardt during her career…To catch the mood of the play, Mucha put a mosaic with Hebrew lettering (Jehova) into his customary halo around Sarah's head. A seemingly random scattering of stars follows the convolutions of her hair, and stylized flowers adorn the corners"(Rennert/Weill p.118)