The subject of this portrait is the celebrated American baritone John Charles Thomas (1891–1960), a major star of the Metropolitan Opera and a household name through his radio work on programs like The Westinghouse Program. The photograph bears the studio stamp of Leon Elzin, New York, and is personally inscribed "For Wm. G. Meyer, Most Sincerely, John Charles Thomas." The reverse of the photo serves as a professional contact card, listing his management as the NBC Artists Service under George Engles, located at the RCA Building, 30 Rockefeller Plaza. This address dates the photograph to the mid-to-late 1930s, shortly after the iconic Art Deco skyscraper opened in 1933.
