12 HAND SIGNED PHOTOS OF SOPRANO OPERA STAR & SINGER ROSA PONSELLE: Framed 24.25"h x 20.25"w - America, 20th c., 12 photos of an American treasure and early Opera Superstar, Rosa Ponselle, each personally autographed and representing of her most famous roles across her several decades’ performance recording career. Including are: Norma, Santuzza in Mascagn’s Cavalleria Rusticana, Oberon, Fior in Montemezzi’s L’Amore dei tre re, Carmen, Andrea Chenier, Violetta in Verdi’s LaTraviata, Gioconda (Act III), Selika, Meyerbeer’s L’ Africana Luisa Miller Giolia in La Vestale, her “Madonna Portrait” used in promotional publicity; others… each signed by Rosa Ponselle, herself - 1978 - and framed in Baltimore, Maryland. BIOGRAPHY: Rosa Ponselle was born in 1897 and became an American Operatic Soprano with a large opulent voice. By 1918 she would follow her Sister, Carmela, to Vaudeville and perform mainly among the New York Metropolitan Opera. Her career would find her on contract to Victor and Capital Records – at Capital she would become their first female indentured artist – then performing all over the world; she is still generally considered by music critics to have been one of the greatest sopranos of the past 100 years (Pavarotti called Ponselle "The Queen of Queens in all of singing"!) … She would retire to a custom-built Mediterranean-style Estate named ‘Villa Pace” outside Baltimore, Maryland. There she would improve the Baltimore Civic Opera Company, and coach some of the finest Opera Singers of the 1950’s and beyond, including Placido Domingo. At 84-years-of-age she died at her Estate in 1981. She lives on among her MANY recordings and captured performances, including at least 2 written biographies and a self-penned memoir. In 1997 she would be commemorated on a US Postage Stamp dedicated to Legends of Music; and currently via the world-wide-web at, http://www.rosaponselle.net/ PROVENANCE: From the Living Collection of Sarasota’s exclusive “Burke’s Antiques”, founded in 1944, with over a lifetime of multi-generation worldwide sourcing and supply to the finest hand-selected American, European, Asian and Primitive arts and antiques. Burke’s Antiques is currently curated by Cheryl Burke – a former Aide-de-Camp to famous Opera Soprano, Rosa Ponselle – an exquisite needle-point artist who founded her own design firm while in Baltimore; and who now manages the Day-to-day operation of Burke’s Antique’s luxurious downtown Sarasota location.