I came across a folder in Archive.org labeled Emilio’s Historical Pictures and, always a sucker for any such item, I opened it and got lost for an hour.

Emilio has amassed a collection of Faces of the Historical Operetta and, as you will see, they are fascinating to behold!

Since these are opera performers, I ought to provide some musical accompaniment, if you care for it. So I’ll show you a picture of the German soprano Lilli Lehmann,  followed by a recording of her that you can play as you peruse these old photographs.

I just love this picture… She looks like an imperious woman. I read that she was also a singing teacher and there are several “Lilli Lehmann teaches singing” videos on YouTube. I would guess, based only on her appearance, that she would not have been a patient teacher!

Lilli Lehmann, 1910

Josef Giampietro (1866 – 1913)

Can you imagine having a name like Violette Schadow? I’m reasonably certain that I would have an entirely different personality if I were named Violette Schadow. Probably much more pleasant, if I’m upfront about it.

Violette Schadow 1917, with autograph

The hat, in this next photograph, could fairly be called a “statement piece.” The only question is, what is the message it sends?

Mathilde Dennery – Sopran, age 30. 1906

A man who knows his scales:

Karl Ziegler – Lohengrin 1917

This last fellow amazed me! These pictures were supposedly taken the same year. In the photo on the left, he’s someone you might expect to see at a Fleetwood Mac show.   On the right, he’s the hero of an ancient Austrian village. Either way, I wish I knew him.

Johannes Bischoff