Oooh la la how I LOVE Art Nouveau! This period from the late 19th to early 20th centuries widened the scope of design and its application, and elevated the poster into a real art form. I especially adore the poster art of Alphonse Mucha. I have a reproduction print of his Monte-Carlo, Monaco poster that my mother bought in Paris in the 1980s framed in my room:

.....That's better

Mucha is famous for the collection of posters he created during this period; his aesthetic embodies le style moderne, incorporating influences from Japanese, Byzantine, and Rococco French patterns and textures into a very ordered symmetrical floral pattern that somehow feels organic and almost effortless. 

From my wall: Sorry, this is a pretty terrible picture....

**Drop Cap "O" courtesy of Jessica Hische, Daily Drop Cap.