This photo came across my FB feed and I just had to share.
The caption is "Duke Ellington caught in his dressing room at the Paramount Theater in New York, 1946, by photographer Willliam Gottlieb."
A brief intro to the Duke in case you are not familiar with him: He was arguably the greatest of the American composers and band leaders of the jazz/swing era, and also wrote pieces for orchestra. There's a great article about him on Wikipedia. He was also known for his elegance both in personality and wardrobe. He is my personal favorite of all American composers, and I feel truly privileged to have seen him and his band live when I was in college in the '70's, when the popularity of big bands had waned and they were performing at universities just to make ends meet. I also have been lucky enough to perform his music a number of times in the concert band I'm in. His music is so full of feeling yet also musically complex and compelling.
Anyway, this photo of his dressing room and closet is a hoot. Note that there is a piano very close to his dressing table. Check out all his skin/hair products, scarves tossed on lamps, hat askew on the closet shelf. There is also something odd about the lighting - note all the shadows especially in the closet area. I think this was a candid shot. Angie could have whipped his closet into shape in no time!
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