Alphonse Mucha created The Seasons, his first design for a decorative ensemble of artistic lithographs. In this iconic series, an impression from the first variant of the original published version here, Mucha’s nymph-like women are set within seasonal views of the countryside and embody the mood of each stage in the natural cycle. Innocent and fair Spring is followed by sultry and beguiling Summer, then fruitful and abundant Autumn, and frosty and reclusive Winter. While the trope of personifying the seasons was nothing new—it had been used by Old Master painters and contemporary artists alike—Mucha transformed the motif to speak the language of the modern (and often overwhelming) world of the late nineteenth century. This design proved so popular that the elite Parisian printer Fernand Champenois requested that Mucha create at least two more based on the theme in 1897 and 1900.