Autographs of Distinguished Artistes, Collected by Mr. T. P. Salt, Birmingham

1859-1901. Very Good. An incredible assemblage of operatic and classical musician autographs from the 19th century, including autographs of Adelina Patti, Christine Nilsson, Emma Albani, Minnie Hauk, John Parry, Paderewski, Charles Gounod, Nellie Melba, Ferdinand Hiller, Giovanni Belletti, Clara Novello, Mario (Giovanni Matteo De Candia), Giulia Grisi, Therese Tietjens, Marietta Alboni, Pauline Viardot, Marietta Piccolommini, Sims Reeves, and on and on -- 81 in all. Oblong 8vo. 22 by 24 cm. 54 pages with content. (The pages are numbered up to 95, but the pagination has irregularities. The pagination is useful, though, in locating artists whose names appear on the decorative key pages at the front and back.) Usually a full page is devoted to single musician. Along with the inscription and autograph there is an original drawing done presumably by the compiler of the album, Mr. Salt. The paintings evoke the world of Ancient Rome or Greece; mythology, with appropriately, seraphs and the like; Renaissance era clad men and women; etc. -- loosely speaking, the characters prevalent on the opera stages of the day. Some of the inscriptions have additional interest such as a few bars of music. (Some of the bars of music found was surely done by the compiler, while others we tend to credit to the renowned musician signing below.) The artwork, in our view, is pleasingly decorative. We would not consider it on its own visually exciting, or executed at the highest level of artistic skill, yet taken as a totality, the artwork provides a winsome cohesion to the album, and also in a sense conveys the sanctity of the autographs to the compiler. Put another way, we would maintain that the artwork makes the otherwise flat autographs sing raptuous melody. Generally, but not always, the inscriptions are dated. Most of the autographs are from the first two thirds of the over four decade time span in which they were collected. Full black morocco binding, with gilt-impressed fleur-de-lys figures on spine, a band of lotus-themed border decoration on boards, and an oblong diamond-shaped gilt centerpiece on front cover, with gilt title contained within.