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Charles Reutlinger
 The Reutlinger Studio, which operated from 1850 to 1937 in the
heart of the capital of fashion, Paris, was well known for providing celebrity
images for commercial advertising. Their studio consisted of palm trees,
columns, tapestries, rugs, and an assortment of steps and stairways on which the
flowing trains from the ladies' gowns could be resplendently fanned out. The
most attractive models were sought, and often the prettiest ladies with the best
figures were found at the Folies Bèrgeres, the Comedie Français, or the Opera
Bouffe. Therefore it is not unusual to see early photographs of Paris-based
opera singers, such as Lina Cavalieri who performed for the Folies Bèrgeres,
prior to their operatic debuts. |
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(1)
Giuseppe Verdi: Italian composer (10
Oct 1813 - 27 Jan 1901).
(2)
[Dame] Nellie Melba [orig. Helen Mitchell]: Australian soprano (19 May
1861 - 23 Feb 1931). Studied with Marchesi. Debut (1887) at the Brussels Opera
as Gilda (Rigoletto). Created title role in Hélène at Monte Carlo.
Covent Garden, La Scala, The Met, Paris Opéra, Chicago. Seen here as Rosina.
(3)
Aïno Ackté: Finnish soprano (1876 - 1944): Debut as
Marguerite in Faust (1897) at the Paris Opéra. The definitive interpreter
of Strauss's Salome in London (1910).
(4)
Célestine Galli-Marié [orig. Marie de l'Isle]: French
mezzo (Nov. 1840 - 22 Sep 1905): Debut Strasbourg 1859. Created Mignon (seen
here) (1866) and Carmen (1875). She also created roles in operas by Gevaart,
Guiraud, Maillart, Massé and Massenet (Don César de Bazan). Sang
primarily in France, Belgium and Italy.
(5)
Célestine Galli-Marié.
(6)
Christine Nilsson [orig. Tornerhjelm] (20 Aug 1843 -
22 Nov 1921): Swedish soprano. She made her debut (1864) as Violetta in La
Traviata at the Théâtre-Lyrique in Paris. Her operatic credits include the
first Ophelia in Thomas's Hamlet (1868), the first London and New York
Mignons, London's first Margherita in Boito's Mefistofele, and she was
Marguerite in Faust in the first ever performance at the Metropolitan
Opera (1883).
(7)
Jean-Baptiste Faure: French baritone (15 Jan 1830 - 9
Nov 1914): Debut Paris Opéra-Comique, 1852 in Galathée (Massé). Created Nelusko (L'Africaine),
Posa (Don Carlos), Hamlet, and others. Manet painted his portrait
twice. Married Opéra-Comique singer, Constance Caroline Lefèbvre. Seen here as Faust.
(8)
Adelina Patti: Spanish soprano (19 Feb 1843 - 27 Sep
1919): Was singing concerts at the age of eight. Stage debut at 16 years old
as Lucia in NY. Married three times: Marquis de Caux, tenor Nicolini (Ernst
Nicholas), and Swedish baron Cederström.
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(9)
Sigrid Arnoldson:
Swedish soprano (1861-1943). This remarkable singer made her debut (1885) as
Rosina (Barbiere di Siviglia) in Prague. She had a wide vocal range
(three octaves) that could accommodate both the soprano and mezzo roles. She
appeared for one season at the Metropolitan Opera (1893-94) where she sang
Carmen, Micaëla, Zerlina, Marguerite (Les Huguenots), Cherubino, Nedda,
Mignon, and Baucis (Philémon et Baucis).
She introduced the role of Sophie (Werther) to New York and London
(Drury Lane Theater). As successor to Jenny Lind she was billed as "the new
Swedish nightingale." In the early 1900s she was enormously popular in Russia.
Toward the end of her career she taught in Vienna and Stockholm. There are
many, many postcards out there of Arnoldson that were published in Russia. It
is more difficult to find the non-Russian postcards of this singer.
(10) French soprano Nina Pack (1869-?)
studied at the Conservatoire de Paris. She was engaged by the Paris Opéra in
1889 where she was seen as Madeleine (Rigoletto), Valentine
(Huguenots), Scazzone (Ascanio), and Hilde (Sigurd). She was
Santuzza (Cavalleria Rusticana) and Carmen at the Salle Favart. At the
Grand Théâtre in Geneva she was seen as Sieglinde in Die Walküre. She
also performed at the Opéra-Comique.
(11) Lina Cavalieri.
See the Cavalieri page.
(12) Lina Cavalieri.
Italian soprano (Viterbo: 25 Dec 1874 - Florence: 7 Feb 1944, during an allied
air raid).
(13) A Lecocq discovery,
French soprano Jane Hading [Jeanne-Alfrédine Tréfouret] (1867-?). She
was the possessor of a pretty voice and keen stage instincts, which later
helped her in her very successful endeavor as an actress. She made her opera
debut in Nice and later performed in Phryné at the Opéra-Comique in
1894. After appearances in Rouen and St. Petersburg she joined the Monnaie in
1896-97 where she appeared in La Traviata and Phryné. She was
discovered by Lecocq during a performance of Le Grand Mogol at
Marseille. During the run of La Jolie Persane, an operetta written for
Hading, she married Lecocq's impresario of the Théâtre de la Renaissance. She
was also well known for her performance in Chabrier's Une Education Manquée.
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Hading superstition:
"Jane Hading is particularly afraid of anything with
thirteen in it, and would starve rather than be one of a party of thirteen
at table." Brooklyn Eagle 8 Jul 1888. |
(14)
Hatto [Marguerite Jeanne Frère]: French soprano
(1879 - ?): Spent most of her long career at the Paris Opéra, Monnaie,
Opéra-Comique . Debut Brunhilde (Sigurd). Created several roles for the
French houses: Les Barbares, Cobzar,
Mlle de Nantes, Le Roi Arthus, and
Le Voile du Bongeur.
(15)
Marie Miolan-Carvalho
[Caroline Felix] (Marseilles: 31 Dec 1827 - Puys: 10 Jul 1895): French
soprano. Studied with Duprez. Debut Brest (1849) as Isabella (Robert le Diable).
Paris OC from 1849 to 1855. Théâtre-Lyrique 1856-67, creating the role of
Marguerite in Faust, Baucis, Juliette, and Mireille. London Covent
Garden 1859-64 and 1871-72, where she was the first London Dinorah. Berlin,
St. Petersburg. Married impresario Léon Carvalho.
(16) French bass Pierre
Gailhard [Pedro] [Gaillard] (Toulouse: 1 Aug 1848 - Paris: 12 Oct 1918).
He studied at the Conservatory of Paris. He made his debut (1967) at the
Opéra-Comique. As of 1872 the rest of his career was centered around the Paris
Opéra. Between the two great Parisian houses he appeared in over fifteen world
premieres. In 1884 he became the director of the Opéra.
(17) Marie-Josèphe Cabel
[Marie-Josephe Dreulette] Belgian soprano (Liege: 31 Jan 1827 - 23 May
1885). She studied voice with Louis-Joseph Cabel, whom she married and soon
divorced, but she kept his name throughout her career. She studied at the
Paris Conservatory, giving concerts while still studying. She made her debut
at the Opéra-Comique and soon after the Monnaie (1850), where she remained for
three years. She also performed throughout the French provinces, Belgium, and
England. She created the lead in Clapisson's Le Promise (1854). She had
a highly successful career but mental illness brought it to an end in 1877.
She was confined to a psychiatric institute near Paris.
(18)
Frances Alda: New
Zealand (raised in Australia)
soprano (1879-1952). She was a Marchesi pupil. She made her debut
(1904) as Manon at the Opéra-Comique where she was called a "delicious
twenty-two year old Australian." She was invited to the Metropolitan Opera in
1908 by the conductor, Arturo Toscanini. She met Toscanini at La Scala during
her debut there in the Milan premiere of Charpentier's Louise. She
remained at the Metropolitan for twenty-two seasons. A testament to her
intelligence, she learned the standard repertory as well as roles in operas
seldom heard today, such as Giordano's La Cena delle Beffe, Hadley's
Cleopatra's Night, Catalani's Loreley, Herbert's Madeleine
and Rabaud's Marouf. It has been said that her long career at the
Metropolitan can be attributed, in part, to her marriage to the general
manager of that house, Giulio Gatti-Casazza, whom she met in Milan. After
twenty-two years of marriage she divorced Gatti-Casazza and subsequently
devoted several years to the concert stage.
(19) Adelina Patti.
(20) Example of Reutlinger
cabinet card backboard. There were several variations.
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