themet

Mabel Garrison Siemonn (April 24, 1886 - August 20, 1963), was an American coloratura soprano who sang at the Metropolitan Opera from 1914 to 1921. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mabel_Garrison It looks like demonstration of a WWI victory garden

Richard Norton: Thank you for the information about opera singer Mabel Garrison. We will add more to the image description when we update.

Given the nearby pictures of Mabel Garrison on the Recruit, this must be the model gardens in Union Square established to encourage growing food in wartime, just adjacent to the Recruit: chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83030214/1917-06-22/ed-...

Mabel Garrison (1886-1963) was a popular coloratura soprano.  "She made her Metropolitan Opera debut on February 15, 1914 in concert, singing arias from operas by Verdi and Mozart." [1] The cover of the catalog she is holding is "New Victor Records • November, 1918" which may provide further clues as to why these photos were in the news at this time..... she made several recordings for the Victor Talking Machine Company.  Mabel Garrison performed in "Cavalleria Rusticana" and "Le Coq d'Or" at the Metropolitan Opera in 1918 as well as the "Twelfth Sunday Concert", "Nineteenth Sunday Concert" and a "Special Performance". [2]   A number of these recordings are available on You Tube in excellent quality. There are several photographs of Mabel Garrison in The Bain Collection.

The six opera singers in this series likely were in the news in September 1919. "The Metropolitan Opera Company last night made public its prospectus for 1919-20, which is being mailed to subscribers this week. "Seventy leading singers are announced of whom fifteen are new. The additions are six sopranos ... Edna Kellogg ... five contraltos ... Gabriella Besanzoni. "Among the singers ... are ... Adamo Didur, Millo Picco, Margaret Romaine ... as well as others of those heard in former years on Broadway" [i.e. Mary Ellis]. – The New York Times, September 22, 1919

"Millo Picco (Baritone) (Torino, Italy 1888 - ?) Probably he made his debut in Italy, but soon went to USA to make a career there. In USA he appeared in Vitaphone movie ‘’Cavalleria rusticana’’(1927) as a partner of Beniamino Gigli." forgottenoperasingers.blogspot.com/2012/10/millo-picco-ba...

Art Siegel and Pixel Wrangler: Thank you for the information about Millo Picco. We will add more to the description.