She's had a sauce, a dessert and even a slice of toast named after her. Now, Dame Nellie Melba has been given the stamp of approval by Australia Post.
Striking a regal pose and wearing a flowing white gown, a silk stole, pearls, and a flamboyant hat, the famed soprano's image has been printed on a stamp to mark the 150th anniversary of her birth in Melbourne, in May 1861.
It will be available from Australia Post from May 10.
"We hope this special stamp issue will be popular with opera and art lovers as well as the public," Australia Post CEO Ahmed Fahour said in a statement.
The image is based on the portrait Madame Melba, by Rupert Bunny, an oil on canvas artwork which was commissioned by the diva herself. It was completed in London in 1902, when Melba was at the height of her career and fame.
She was one of the most famous singers of the late Victorian era and the early 20th century, perhaps best known for her performance as Mimi in Puccini's La Boheme, at the Royal Opera House in London in 1899.
She was the first Australian to achieve international recognition as a classical vocalist and one of the first stage performers to be made a Dame of the Order of the British Empire.
It is not the first time Melba's image has been printed on a stamp. She was commemorated in the same way in 1961, when the stamp cost a mere five (old) pence.
(Melba sauce is made from sweetened pureed raspberries; Melba toast is thinly sliced toast baked in the oven until crisp and a peach Melba is made with fresh peaches, poached in a sugar syrup served with vanilla ice-cream and topped with Melba sauce).
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