Studio portrait photograph with autograph signature of the noted American baritone

180 x 127 mm. Half-length, black and white glossy, with identification and date of March 13, 1948 in pencil to verso.

From the collection of the distinguished American mezzo-soprano Marilyn Horne (b. 1934); previously in the collection of Walter Honig.

Slightly worn. Merrill spent the majority of his career at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, appearing in over 500 productions from his début in 1945 until his retirement in 1976. He was also known for his numerous performances of the national anthem at Yankee Stadium. He was awarded the National Medal of Arts in 1993.

The Honig family emigrated from Vienna to England in September of 1938 and then to the United States in 1939. The family papers are held at the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C.

"Horne had a voice of extraordinary range, rich and tangy in timbre, with a stentorian chest register and an exciting top... In concert she once achieved the feat of singing in a single programme Rossini arias and Brünnhilde's Immolation Scene, proof of her exceptional versatility. Throughout her lengthy career she was an admired recitalist, singing lieder, mélodies, and Spanish and American songs with equal aplomb." Alan Blyth in Grove Music Online.