A glossy original sepia Mishkin photograph of the Tollefsen Trio, shown with their instruments. In the black space at the center, one member -- we cannot determine which -- has inscribed the image in white ink to American tenor Paul Althouse: with all good wishes of the Tollefsen Trio.

Violinist Carl Tollefsen and his wife, pianist Augusta Schnabel-Tollefsen, were central figures in Brooklyn's musical scene throughout the first half of the twentieth century. Carl was a keen collector of autographs and instruments and Augusta was an accomplished performer who appeared with the New York Symphony. They formed the Tollefsen Trio with cellist Paul Keefer, and together signed a contract with Columbia Records. The ensemble often programmed lesser-known and non-German works, and also helped to popularize the chamber music of Amy Beach.