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The Metropolitan Opera opened
its doors for the first time on 23 Oct 1883 at 39th and Broadway. The building
was financed by wealthy New Yorkers, among them the Vanderbilts and Astors, and
it was no accident that special seating was provided for these patrons in 122
very visible boxes. The elite of the group sat in a line of boxes called the
"Golden Horseshoe." After a fire gutted the interior of the building in the
summer of 1892, the number of boxes was reduced to seventy, divided between two
tiers. By 1940, to remove poor sight lines and increase seating, the Grand Tier
boxes were removed leaving only the parterre boxes. The damage from the 1892
fire was estimated at $300,000 at a time when the building was insured for only
$60,000. However, even with the renovations the Metropolitan Opera always had
physical inadequacies: continued poor sight lines, a small stage and backstage,
and very little storage space. Rehearsals took place on the main stage; the
chorus sought out any unoccupied room (usually the smoking room or the ladies'
parlor) and the ballet rehearsed in what later became Sherry's Restaurant.
Costumes, sets, wigs, props, and accessories were all brought to the House as
needed for each performance. It was inevitable that the Company would seek a new
home. In the 1920s John D. Rockefeller included a new home for the Metropolitan
Opera in the plans for Rockefeller Center but by the 1930s the idea was shelved
due to the Depression. In 1966 the Metropolitan Opera moved to its present
location in the Lincoln Center complex. After a small effort to "save the Met,"
the original home of the Metropolitan Opera Company was denied landmark status
and subsequently demolished in 1967. |
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(1) Between 1896 and 1898 the
American Souvenir Card Company printed 15 different sets, usually of 12 cards
each. Their "New York" set was printed in 1897. Number 8 from that set, which
features the Metropolitan Opera, is the first postcard displayed on this page.
It is the earliest mass-produced postcard of the Metropolitan Opera I've been
able to find.
(2) This is the second oldest
postcard of the Metropolitan Opera that I know of. The earliest postcards
are easy to identify. Just look for the absence of the fire escapes on the
left side of this view. They are also missing in the previous postcard. In
the lower left front, with its canopied windows, was the Bank of New
Amsterdam. Postmarked in mid 1900.
(3) This is an example of a framed-border
postcard. It is also a divided-back postcard in that the address and
message, divided by a vertical line, appear on one side of the card.
Therefore, it was published in or after 1907. Notice that the fire escapes,
which were not present on the circa 1900 postcards, have been added.
(4) At a time when competition was fierce,
publishers created many interesting gimmicks in order to attract customers
to their cards. This postcard, from a series of views displayed within a
painter's palette, was published by I. Stern in Brooklyn. Postcards can be
found with views displayed inside of seashells, butterflies, and a wide
assortment of other decorative borders. This card was postmarked in 1907 but
the image, with the Rockwood storefront visible at the left, is much
earlier.
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(5) This is one of the rarer
Metropolitan Opera postcards you can find. Why? It shows the Met from the
opposite side from the standard views you might usually find. We can see that
fire escapes flank both sides of the old house. Circa 1900.
(6) Raphael Tuck & Sons, a
British publishing company and a giant among postcard publishers, opened an
office on Fifth Avenue to distribute American view cards. This postcard is
number 7418 of the Silverette "New York" series, and as the name implies, has
a glossy, silvery finish. On the back is a brief description of the house.
This is an undivided postcard and predates the Tuck's interior view at
postcard 10.
(7) The nickname for the early
Metropolitan Opera house was "The Yellow Brick Brewery." Although this is a
common postcard, the publisher tried to capture the color of the facade. This
is a post-1907 postcard, with a divided back (for address and greetings).
(8) This is one of the most
common Metropolitan Opera cards you can find. It has an undivided back which
means it was published prior to 1907. I call it "the bicycle postcard" because
of the little guy on the bicycle in the center bottom. It's an early
lithographed postcard with the number, "C.V.112" on front. Because it is so
common, it is one postcard you should purchase in excellent condition.
(9) By 1903 the words "Post Card"
were a fixture on the address side. The Illustrated Post Card Company of 118
Chambers Street in New York was printing millions of cards at a time when
picture postcards were at the peak of their popularity. Also by 1903, The Bank
of New Amsterdam, which was a tenant in the front of the
Metropolitan in earlier postcards, had moved out. Posters advertising the
coming attractions at the Metropolitan Opera can be seen to the left of the
front canopied entrance. Several variations of this common black and white
image were printed, some with the number 105 on front, some without the
number. Postmarked from Madison Square Station on 7 Oct 1903.
(10) This interior postcard of
the early Met is also a rare one to collect. It was published by Raphael Tuck
and Sons, Series 2652, "New York." Those people who collect postcards may
scoop this one up to fill their Tuck series postcards thus making them more
difficult to find. It took me over 15 years to locate one for my collection.
Geraldine Farrar is seen at center stage by the prompter's box.
(11) The new Metropolitan Opera
at Lincoln Center opened its doors on 16 Sep 1966 with the world premiere of
Barber's Antony and Cleopatra. Postcards from the 1960s, not having the
elegance and popularity of its earlier ancestors, were often thrown out. So
don't ignore early postcards of the new Met. This one can be dated by the
1960s automobile out front.
(12) This is a Liebig Extract
trade card featuring the Metropolitan Opera and the world premiere of La
Fanciulla del West. It is one of a set of six trade cards. The set title
is, "Théâtres D'Opéra Renommés."
(13) One of the less common
postcards of the Metropolitan Opera is this vertical card showing the main
entrance. One can barely read the billboard on the front which advertises one
of the Met's then popular Sunday matinee concerts. On the street is a horse
and buggy. In the doorway of the entrance stand three firefighters or
policemen with helmets and full-length coats. There are two postcards like
this that I've found. The earlier one (shown above) has a white area on front
for writing a message.
(14) Exciting views of the first
Metropolitan Opera House cannot be found due largely to its awkward location
on Broadway between 39th and 40th Streets in New York. Photographic angles
were limited. However, this postcard sent in 1904 as a birthday greeting, is
an unusual vertical view, giving us the unexpected perspective of wide open
space on the city streets. Trolley tracks are visible down Broadway and street
lights have been erected on the corners. This postcard is from the 3rd Series
of Erny's "New York Views." This is the earliest vertical postcard of the
Metropolitan Opera I've seen to date.
(15) One of the more collectible
(and hard to find) "new" Metropolitan Opera postcards is the folder variation.
This one was published exclusively for the Metropolitan Opera Association. It
contains six interior views and eight exterior views, including one aerial
shot which shows the Alice Tully Hall site being cleared for construction.
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