Archive of 80 original photographs of opera star Anna Moffo

N.p.: N.p., 1960. Archive of 80 vintage photographs, consisting of 38 double weight and 42 single weight, 39 of which are oversize, of opera singer Anna Moffo, all taken circa late 1950s and early 1960s. The majority of the photographs have stamps or other markings identifying the several photographers represented in the collection.

6 photos shown, images for the remainder can be seen on request.

American-born opera singer Anna Moffo was one the leading coloratura sopranos of her generation, debuting on the Italian stage in 1955 and achieving lasting fame there after appearing on Italian television as Cio-Cio San in a 1956 production (truncated) of "Madame Butterfly." She returned to the United States the following year, and made her debut at the New York Metropolitan Opera in 1959. She would perform there for the next 17 seasons, while often returning to Italy, where she hosted an eponymous television show, and starred in film versions of "La traviata" (1968) and "Lucia di Lammermoor" (1971), as well as dramatic roles in films and television.

The archive contains 24 publicity stills, either headshots or images of Moffo in costume for unidentified productions, and 55 press photographs, likely magazine shoots, of Moffo either at (presumably) her residence, or in public, with some locations identified on the verso as Parma, Venice, and Milan in Italy. A single photograph of Moffo onstage in a unidentified New York City production completes the archive.

Also included are six negatives for photographs contained in the archive.

One photograph 5 x 7 inches, the rest sized variously between 7.25 x 9.75 inches and 9.5 x 14.25 inches. Near Fine overall. (Inventory #: 137585)