La bohème is an
opera in four acts composed by
Giacomo Puccini between 1893 and 1895 to an Italian
libretto by
Luigi Illica and
Giuseppe Giacosa, based on
Scènes de la vie de bohème (1851) by
Henri Murger. The opera, which had its world premiere on 1 February 1896 in
Turin, is set in
Paris around 1830 and shows the
Bohemian lifestyle of the poor seamstress Mimì and her artist friends, including Rodolfo, Marcello and Musetta. This 1895 poster was produced by
Adolfo Hohenstein for the publishing house
G. Ricordi & C. to advertise the musical score of
La bohème, and depicts Mimì and Rodolfo at the end of the opera's third act. Knowing that Mimì is dying and Rodolfo is too poor to help her, but too much in love to separate, they agree to remain together until the spring, when the world is coming to life again and no one feels truly alone. Meanwhile, Marcello and Musetta quarrel about Musetta's flirtatiousness in counterpoint to the other pair's reconciliation.
Poster credit: Adolfo Hohenstein; restored by Adam Cuerden