Opera before Instagram.

• Position: Entertainment

"Opera Before Instagram: Por traits, 1890-1955" show cases photographs of early singing stars from a collection assembled by the late Charles Jahant--an authority on the topic--in a format that explores how Jahant might have used an Instagram account had he lived today. The exhibit is on display in the Library of Congress' James Madison Memorial Building, Washington, D.C.

The Charles Jahant Collection in the Library of Congress Music Division contains nearly 2,000 photographs of opera singers from the late 19th century to the late 20th century. Jahant (1909-94) was a well-known critic, radio panelist, teacher, lecturer, and member of the Advisory Council of the Metropolitan Opera Archives.

"Opera Before Instagram" imagines what Jahant's Instagram account might have looked like, with pictures of his favorite opera singers, complete with captions giving his assessment of each singer's talent and history. The 36 photographs on exhibit represent a cross-section of important singers who performed in the U.S. The label information in the exhibition is drawn from Jahant's own writings. They capture his personal, and sometimes quirky, descriptions of opera singers just as he might have presented them on social media.

According to exhibition curators Raymond White and James Wintle, senior specialists in the Music Division, in the past--before Instagram and other apps made photo-sharing as easy as pressing a button--pictures of popular opera singers were sold in gift shops across the operatic world. The most ardent fans also would write letters to their favorite singers to request photographs. Apart from a program booklet or ticket stub, it would have been the only remembrance that a dedicated fan could take home to commemorate a particularly wonderful night at the opera.

Jahant reviewed the Washington, D.C., music scene for the Christian Science Monitor from 1958-78, and wrote program notes for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Metropolitan Opera, and Avery Fisher Hall. Drawing on his comprehensive knowledge of opera, he also contributed articles to The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Opera, and The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, as well as other important publications.

Jahant began donating his photographs of opera singers to the Library of Congress in 1980. His collection represents a historical view of the art of operatic singing through photographs of the greatest singers of his time and before. The exhibit is on...