Photographs, Duke Ellington Collection

Contains black and white and color photographs, contact sheets, slides, and negatives documenting Duke Ellington's career as a musician and the evolution of the Duke Ellington Orchestra between 1924 and 1972. The photographs depict the orchestra and its various band members and singers in domestic concerts and international tours, Ellington with presidents and heads of state, Ellington's family, the Sacred Concerts, and publicity shots of Ellington. Images of particular interest include Duke Ellington with Presidents Richard M. Nixon and Lyndon B. Johnson, Queen Elizabeth, Princess Margaret, and prominent musicians including Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Tony Bennett, Leonard Bernstein, and Billy Strayhorn. The images also document places of interest where Ellington performed, such as Birdland, Westminster Cathedral, and the ancient theatre in Baghdad. Of particular interest are photographs of the original Cotton Club Orchestra and the Washingtonians, Duke Ellington's first band. The photographs are arranged into subject categories such as Awards, Band Members, Duke Ellington at the Piano, Friends and Associates, International Tours, Publicity, etc.

Miscellaneous photographs of musicians, concerts, etc. Includes work by famed photographer Roy de Carava, ca. 1960s (Box 1, folders 33, 34, and 35, and other locations in the series).