Alma Fohström von Rode by Trunov with autograph

Alma Fohström von Rode (1856-1936); Finnish soprano.
She received her vocal training in the years 1874/77 from Henriette Nissen-Saloman in St. Petersburg, Francesco Lamperti in Milan and Désirée Artôt de Padilla in Paris. She made her debut in 1878 in Helsinki as Marguerite in Gounod's "Faust". In the 1880's she appeared regurlarly at the Opera house of Riga, where she performed Lucia (Lucia di Lammermoor), Marguerite (Faust), Amina (La Sonnambula) and Martha (Martha). In 1883/84 she made an extended tour through South America, in 1885/86 a tour through the USA (with the Mapleson Opera Company) and in 1887 a tour through England. Here she performed in 1887 at Covent Garden the role of Leïla in the English première of Bizet's "Les pêcheurs des perles". In the 1888/89 season she was engaged by the Metropolitan Opera of New York. Here she made her debut there as Queen Marguerite in Meyerbeer's "Les Huguenots " and also performed Bertha in Meyerbeer's "Le Prophet", Mathilde in Rossini 's "Guglielmo Tell" and Marguerite in Gounod's "Faust". The greatest successes of her career she had in the years 1890/1900 at the Opera Houses of St. Petersburg and Moscow. From 1889 until 1917 she lived in St. Petersburg. In 1909 she appeared for the last time on stage in Helsinki and then became a vocal teacher at the Conservatory of St. Petersburg. After the revolution of 1917 she left Russia and worked as a teacher at the Conservatory of Helsinki and since 1920 for a few years at the Stern'schen Conservatory in Berlin. After her marriage she performed under the name of Alma Fohström-von Rode. She was a coloratura soprano of the greatest technical perfection. Her sister Elin Fohström (1868-1949) was also a well known soprano who made a career under the name of Elina Vandár.

The dedication on the photo is for the baritone/tenor Augusto Brogi and is written and signed by Alma Fohström. The dedication reads as follows:

Au celebre et
grand artiste et
l'aimable camarade Mr.
Brogi, souvenir d'admiration
et de sympathie.

Alma Fohström de Rode.

Moscow, 15 Mai 1895