In History: Gottlieb Jazz Photos

This is the 66th post in a weekly feature here at Spare Candy, called "In History." Some posts might be little more than a photo, others full on features. If you have any suggestions for a person or event that should be featured, or would like to submit a guest post or cross post, e-mail me at rosiered23 (at) sparecandy (dot) com.

The Library of Congress has a stunning set of photos on its Flickr site, the Gottlieb Jazz Photos. From their description:

Celebrated jazz artists come to life in photographs by William P. Gottlieb. His images document the jazz scene in New York City and Washington, D.C., from 1938 to 1948, a time recognized by many as the "Golden Age of Jazz".

Gottlieb was both a notable jazz journalist and a self-taught photographer who captured the personalities of jazz musicians and told their stories with his camera and typewriter. His portraits depict such prominent musicians and personalities as Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday, Thelonious Monk, Ella Fitzgerald, and many more.

I haven't had the chance to look through all the photos, but here are a couple of my favorites so far:

Portrait of Mildred Bailey, Carnegie Hall(?), New York, N.Y., ca. Apr. 1947

Portrait of Ella Fitzgerald, New York, N.Y., ca. Nov. 1946

Portrait of Billie Holiday, Downbeat, New York, N.Y., ca. Feb. 1947

Really, just gorgeous photos of some extremely influential and talented women. And there are so many more photos! Check them out sometime.