Melba premiered in the title role of Herman Bemberg’s opera Elaine in London in 1892. This portrait by Frank Haviland was published in The Illustrated London News in June 1908 as part of his series of theatrical celebrities and marked Melba’s 20th…
Collectable cards inserted in cigarette packaging were popular from the late 19th century to the 1940s. Designed to encourage the collection of entire sets, they were issued in themed series such as plants, wildlife and sports and theatre stars. This…
This large-scale portrait of Melba as Juliette is an imposing example of the use of studio photography to portray an operatic role. A companion photograph taken at the same time, depicted Melba as the dead Juliette lying on her tomb. The diva…
New Zealand-born sisters May and Mina Moore worked in Wellington before becoming successful photographers in Australia during the 1910s and 1920s. May established a studio in Sydney and Mina worked in Melbourne. The sisters were particularly…
This autograph book contains inscriptions and signatures from many people associated with Melba. Included are: Giacomo Puccini, Paolo Tosti, Mathilde Marchesi, Salvatore Marchesi, Haddon Chambers, Herman Bemberg, Efrem Zimbalist, Elizabeth Parkina,…