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Photograph of Billie Holiday

African American Museum

This media is in the public domain (free of copyright restrictions). You can copy, modify, and distribute this work without contacting the Smithsonian. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Open Access page.
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    Object Details

    Photograph by

    Unidentified

    Distributed by

    Joe Glaser, American, 1896 - 1969

    Subject of

    Billie Holiday, American, 1915 - 1959

    Description

    A silver gelatin print depicting a black-and-white image of Billie Holiday. Holiday is depicted standing behind a microphone stand. She wears a white blouse, belt, and floral skirt. A band is depicted in the background behind her, on the left side of the image. At the center of the image is a handwritten inscription in black ink that reads, [To Laura Wise / Frantic [?] to Me / Lady Day / Billie Holiday]. A second inscription below, written by a different hand, reads, [Chicago Dec / 1943]. The image is bordered with white and along bottom is black text on the left and right sides. The text in the lower left corner reads, [BILLIE HOLIDAY]. The text in the lower right corner reads, [Personal Management / JOE GLASER / R C A Building 30 Rockefeller Plaza / New York N.Y.]. There is a notation in pencil on the back of the photograph.

    Credit Line

    Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture

    Date

    December 1943

    Object number

    2013.46.25.80

    Restrictions & Rights

    Public domain
    Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.

    Type

    gelatin silver prints
    portraits

    Medium

    silver and photographic gelatin on photographic paper

    Dimensions

    H x W (Image): 8 11/16 × 7 7/16 in. (22.1 × 18.9 cm)
    H x W (Sheet): 10 × 8 3/16 in. (25.4 × 20.8 cm)

    Place made

    New York City, New York, United States, North and Central America

    Place collected

    Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, United States, North and Central America

    See more items in

    National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection

    Collection title

    The Laura Cathrell Show-Down Magazine Collection

    Classification

    Photographs and Still Images

    Data Source

    National Museum of African American History and Culture

    Topic

    African American
    Actors
    Jazz (Music)
    Nightlife
    Photography
    Singers (Musicians)
    Theatre

    Metadata Usage

    CC0

    Link to Original Record

    http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd5789b078d-fb86-4efc-9ee4-e4cd0cb13257

    Record ID

    nmaahc_2013.46.25.80

    Discover More

    Portrait of Billie Holiday

    Lady Day: Billie Holiday

    Ella Fitzgerald singing in front of a microphone

    Jazz in the Collections

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