A glossy original black-and-white portrait photograph of the German pianist, shown looking up from a score, which he signs broadly at the upper right.

Wilhelm Backhaus began his studies before he was even ten years old, accepting a place at the Leipzig Conservatory at the recommendation of Arthur Nikisch. (Incredibly, while at the conservatory, he heard Eugene d'Albert play both of Brahms' piano concertos with Brahms conducting). Although Backhaus enjoyed a long and successful international career, becoming known especially for his interpretations of the Classical and Romantic German repertory, his allegiance to the Nazi party in the 1930s and 1940s has cast a shadow on his legacy.