Fine unsigned Russian Cabinet Photo (Eduard Francevi , 1839-1916, Czeck Conductor and Composer who settled in Russia)] by [NÁPRAVNÍK

showing him seated at the piano with a young singer standing beside him, the photo has an inscription in English "To Mr J. Bloch, In kind remembrance from Nikita[?]", with the place and date, 6½" x 4¼", St Petersburg, Nápravník was the principal conductor of the Imperial Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg for many decades. In that capacity, he conducted the premieres of many operas by Russian composers, including those by Mussorgsky, Tchaikovsky and Rimsky-Korsakov. The woman in the picture is probably his wife, Olga Shryoder. The inscription is to Julius Block (Yulyi Ivanovich Block) who was a pioneer of the acoustical cylinders recording in Russia and was in a connection of Thomas Edison.