Photograph of Billy Eckstine: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A silver gelatin print depicting a black-and-white image of Billy Eckstine. Eckstine is depicted from the shoulders up, with his body in three quarters profile, but his head turned to look at the viewer. He is wearing a light colored suit, white shirt, and tie. His hair has been smoothed back in waves and he has a thin mustache. He wears a serious expression on his face. On the front of the image, in the bottom left quadrant, is a handwritten inscription in black ink that reads, [To Sally / Sincerest / Wishes / Billy Eckstine]. The photographer's mark is printed in the negative in the bottom left corner, [James J / Kriegsmann / NY]. There are no inscriptions on the back of the photograph.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: mid 20th century
• Photograph by: James J. Kriegsmann, 1909 - 1994
• Subject of: Billy Eckstine, American, 1914 - 1993
• Type: gelatin silver prints
• Type: portraits
• Medium: silver and photographic gelatin on photographic paper
• Dimensions: H x W (Image): 5 13/16 × 4 5/16 in. (14.7 × 11 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W (Sheet): 6 7/8 × 4 15/16 in. (17.5 × 12.6 cm)
• Place made: New York City, New York, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Conductors (Musicians)
• Topic: Photography
• Topic: Popular music
• Topic: Singers (Musicians)
• Object number: 2013.46.25.64
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
• Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of African American History and Culture through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed. The underlying object's rights statement is: © Getty Images Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.