William P. Gottlieb — Billie Holiday in the dressing room, 1946

New York, around 1946. Between sets, Gottlieb finds Billie Holiday at her dressing-room table — white flowers in her hair, a boxer at her side, the mirror doubling the room. One of the warmest, most human images of a singer the world mostly saw on a stage.

About the photograph

William P. Gottlieb (1917–2006) made the defining photographs of the golden age of American jazz between 1938 and 1948, then placed his entire archive in the public domain through the Library of Congress.

The print

Printed to order and made to last. Choose Museum Matte (heavyweight matte art paper) or Fine Art Giclée (Hahnemühle cotton paper — the photographer's archival standard). The Métrica museum caption — title, date and source — is printed as part of the piece, set in our house type. Free US shipping on two or more pieces.

Photograph: William P. Gottlieb · Library of Congress, William P. Gottlieb Collection (public domain).

Theme: Jazz photography by William P. Gottlieb — Billie Holiday, 1946.