Photograph of Dizzy Gillespie playing the trumpet in Karachi, Pakistan: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A black and white photograph of a group Dizzy Gillespie and seven other men on a stage with instruments. Gillespie is playing a trumpet on the left side of the photograph as the other members of the band look on. At the center of photograph are two music stands one of which reads “RHYTHM / SWINGTETTE,” while the other has R and S in overlapping, decorative lettering. Handwritten in ink near the top left corner of the image is “To, Dizzy - One & only / Here's Looking / at you. Sincerely, / Ray Baldwin / Karachi / Pakistan / 1956.” On the left side of the photograph a man is standing in front of a microphone. He is watching Gillespie play the trumpet. An illegible handwritten signature covers the man’s waist. Written in orange marker at bottom center is “637[illegible].” On the back of the photograph handwritten in orange marker at center right is “#59,” “D12,” and “59e.” Taped to the back of the photograph with masking tape is a white piece of paper with black type. The text on the piece of paper reads “DOUBLEDAY & CO., INC./ 245 PARK AVENUE / NEW YORK, N.Y. / TITLE:” Handwritten in black ink at the bottom of the piece of paper is “to Be or not to Bop-Auto- / biogr. of Dizzy Gillespie.”

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: ca. 1956
• Photograph by: Doubleday & Company Inc., American, founded 1897
• Subject of: Dizzy Gillespie, American, 1917 - 1993
• Type: gelatin silver prints
• Medium: silver and photographic gelatin on photographic paper
• Dimensions: H x W: 8 1/8 × 9 3/16 in. (20.6 × 23.3 cm)
• Place captured: Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan, Asia
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Instrumentalists (Musicians)
• Topic: International affairs
• Topic: Jazz (Music)
• Topic: Photography
• Topic: Travel
• Object number: 2014.3.4
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Paxton and Rachel Baker
• 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: Unknown - Restrictions Possible Rights assessment and proper usage is the responsibility of the user.