William P. Gottlieb — Portrait of Thelonious Monk, 1947

Minton's Playhouse, Harlem, around 1947 — the room where bebop was born. Gottlieb leans in and catches Thelonious Monk at the piano, glasses low, mid-idea, the whole grammar of modern jazz about to change.

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 orders over $75.

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