Boieldieu
1875
Imagine a 19th-century fan club poster for a rock star, but make it classical music. This 1875 portrait celebrates French composer François-Adrien Boieldieu, framing him beneath a lush arch of fruit trees and birds. At his feet, playful cherubs hold up a scroll for his most famous opera, *La Dame Blanche*, while other scattered papers hint at hits like *Le Calife de Bagdad*. A lyre and laurel branch at the bottom seal the deal, marking him as a master of the *opéra comique* style.