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The Tales of Hoffmann is an opéra fantastique by the French composer Jacques Offenbach. The French libretto was written by Jules Barbier, based on three short stories by E. T. A. Hoffmann, the opera's protagonist. It was Offenbach's final work; he died in October 1880, four months before it premiered on 10 February 1881 at the Opéra-Comique in Paris. This illustration of the premiere, attributed to Pierre-Auguste Lamy, depicts the opera's prologue (or possibly epilogue).Illustration credit: Pierre-Auguste Lamy (attributed); restored by Adam Cuerden