The Stravinsky Collection

Peter Borel. Portrait of P.Plavilshchikov. Lithograph. 1850s – 1860s.

Unknown artist. Portrait of Osip Petrov. Steel-plate engraving. 1877

The library obtained the Stravinsky collection in 1927. It was amassed by Fyodor Stravinsky, the leading bass singer at the Imperial Opera in St. Petersburg where he played 59 prominent roles. Stravinsky collected historical books and engravings relating to his roles. Tne collection consists of more than 1400 portraits of composers, musicians and operatic singers dating the nineteenth century. The main part of the collection is steel-plate engravings: separate sheets and cuttings. The collection of Fyodor Stravinsky includes also lithographs and photographs.