The German composer of operas and tone poems signs a matte black-and-white portrait of himself holding a book. He dates and inscribes the verso with a friendly sentiment in German to the American music critic Arthur M. Abell.

The year Strauss signed this photograph was not an altogether happy one. Left nearly bankrupt by the seizure of his assets during World War II, Strauss and his wife, soprano Pauline de Ahna, struggled to get by when the conflict ended. So he embarked on an three-week tour of London in 1947--at the age of 83--to better his finances. While there he conducted his tone poems and attended a BBC performance of Elektra. Much to the Strauss' relief, the trip was a critical and financial success.