Eleonora Duse was an Italian actress who achieved international fame. She was born into a family of traveling actors and began appearing on stage at an early age. After her mother’s death, she continued performing in her father’s troupe. She gained wide recognition in 1879 after her performance in a drama by Émile Zola. In the following years, Duse appeared in works by Alexandre Dumas fils, Verga, Shakespeare, Ibsen, Maeterlinck, and other authors. She toured extensively throughout Europe and America. In 1891, she gave successful performances in Russia. Duse was known for her restrained acting style, her rejection of theatrical effects, and her focus on conveying the inner meaning of a role. At the beginning of the twentieth century, she collaborated with Gabriele D’Annunzio, performing leading roles in his plays. In 1909, she temporarily left the stage but returned to performing a few years later. In 1916, she appeared in the film “Cenere”. Her final tours took place in Europe and the United States. The Bakhrushin Theatre Museum collection holds photographs of Eleonora Duse both in her roles and in everyday life.