Pictures of
Giacomo Puccini

Italian operatic composer
(1858-1924)


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Some of the great operas of Puccini include Manon Lescaut, La Bohème, Tosca, Madama Butterfly (Madame Butterfly), and Turandot.




Giacomo Puccini, circa 1908.

Source: Library of Congress, Washington DC, United States. (PD image.)




Giacomo Puccini, circa 1907.

Source: Library of Congress, Washington DC, United States. (PD image.)







The orginal 1896 poster for Puccini's opera, La Bohème.

The poster designer was Adolfo Hohenstein (1854-1928).




The beautiful cover of the libretto (that is, the words and music) of Puccini's opera, Tosca, published in 1899.

The designer of this cover was Alfredo Montalti (1858-1928).




Art nouveau style poster for Puccini's opera, Tosca, published in circa 1899/1900.

The poster designer was Leopoldo Metlicovitz.




Poster for the opera Tosca (1899) by Giacomo Puccini. It shows the moment where Tosca lays the crucifix on the breast of corpse of Scarpia, whom she had just stabbed.

This poster was designed by Adolfo Hohenstein (1854-1928). Hohenstein was a master graphic designer in the Art Nouveau style. Working for the Ricordi music publishing house in Milan, he created dramatic and flamboyant advertising posters for Italian operas of the late 19th and early 20th century which matched those operas' own great drama and flamboyance. (There are a number of examples of Hohenstein's opera posters on this page.) Hohenstein is regarded as the "Father of the Italian Poster". He turned poster design into an art form.




Two scenes from Puccini's opera, Tosca, as depicted on this postage stamp issued by San Marino in 1999.

The Italian words, "Vissi d'arte, vissi d'amore" (I lived for art, I lived for love), refer to one of the opera's famous arias.




Poster for the opera, Madama Butterfly (Madame Butterfly) (1904) by Giacomo Puccini.

This poster was designed by Adolfo Hohenstein (1854-1928).




Another 1904 poster for Madama Butterfly (Madame Butterfly) by Giacomo Puccini.

This poster was designed by Leopoldo Metlicovitz (1868-1944). Together with Adolfo Hohenstein (whose posters you can also see on ths page), Metlicovitz is considered as one of the top Italian poster designers. You can see his initials "L.M." on the lower left hand side corner of the window in this Butterfly poster.




A flyer for an early performance (8 September 1907) of the opera, Madama Butterfly (Madame Butterfly), at the Teatro del Giglio (Theater of the Lily), Lucca, Italy.

Interestingly, near the bottom of this flyer it says: "L'autore assisterà alla reppresentazione" (The composer will be present at the performance) and "Il teatro sarà illuminato a luce elettrica" (The performance will be lit by electric light).




Giacomo Puccini as depicted on this postage stamp issued by Monaco in 2007



Interesting website with more pictures:
Comitato Nazionale Celebrazione Pucciniane
Italian language website on Puccini the man and on Puccini's librettists, places, and operas, and Puccini and his time.





Author: David Paul Wagner
(David Paul Wagner on Google+)


Note: This picture gallery page includes drawings, paintings, photos and images of Giacomo Puccini, his music, activities, friends and family, and the various places where the composer lived and wrote.