In 1908 Mucha was commissioned to decorate the interior of the newly renovated German Theater in New York. This included five large decorative panels, the stage curtain, and decorative elements for the foyer, the corridor, the staircase and the auditorium. The central panel was flanked by two vertical panels: Tragedy and Comedy.

In Tragedy, the female protagonist is modelled on the lead tragedienne of the Max Reinhardt Theater, Miss Reichl.