Gottlieb Jazz Photos

“Who is Billie Holiday? Look at Bill's shots. Who is Charlie Parker? Look at Bill's shots.”

Jason Koransky, Editor, Downbeat

Billie Holiday's stunning and very famous photo shown on my last post is taken from the archive of William P. Gottlieb jazz photos. Gottlieb was both a notable jazz journalist and a self-taught photographer who's images document the jazz scene in New York City and Washington, D.C., from 1938 to 1948, a time recognized by many as the "Golden Age of Jazz".

His photos are fantastic in the way they capture the essence of jazz, the emotions, the tense and excitement. Looking at them, you can feel the vibe and even sense the beat of the music, go back in time, and bring the stories back to life.

You can view Gottlieb's photos on this flickr set or on his archive site


Photographs: Downbeat, New York, N.Y., ca. 1948 // Portrait of Louis Armstrong, Aquarium, New York, N.Y., ca. July 1946 // Portrait of Wesley Prince, Oscar Moore, and Nat King Cole, Zanzibar, New York, N.Y., ca. July 1946 \\ Portrait of Sid Catlett, New York, N.Y., ca. Mar. 1947 // Portrait of Ella Fitzgerald, Dizzy Gillespie, Ray Brown, Milt (Milton) Jackson, and Timmie Rosenkrantz, Downbeat, New York, N.Y., ca. Sept. 1947 // Portrait of Billie Holiday (and her dog Mister), Downbeat(?), New York, N.Y., ca. June 1946

Bohemian Sydney

Nostalgic, beautiful photos from the State Library of New South Wales collection showing little scenes from Bohemian Sydney.

From the late 19th century to the early 1970s, there was a distinctive bohemian subculture in Sydney. Alternative thinkers gathered in private houses, clubs and coffee houses. Some of the best known bohemian hangouts were Kings Cross and the area around Rowe Street (demolished in the 1970s to make way for the MLC Centre). One of these Rowe Street cafes, the Lincoln Coffee Lounge, is considered the birthplace of the Sydney Push.

Doesn't it always seem like in the old times, everything looked more glamorous, with more passion and elegancy? Even drinking coffee looks more purposeful.
Of course it is pure romanticism, but I would love the option to step back in time, to this era when things looks new and possible and even smoking cigarettes seemed harmless....

Vivian Maier Portraits

Vivian Maier's life story is a remarkable and fascinating riddle.
She immigrated to the U.S. from France in the early 30's.
She learned English by going to theaters. She wore a men's jacket, men's shoes and a large hat most of the time. She had strong opinions about movies and politics. She was constantly taking pictures (about 100,000 in total), which she didn't show anyone.

She photographed mainly people and cityscapes most often in Chicago, although she traveled and photographed worldwide.
Her photographs remained unknown and mostly undeveloped until they were discovered by a local historian, John Maloof, in 2007. Following Maier's death her work began to receive critical acclaim. Since 2009 her photographs have appeared in newspapers, magazines and exhibitions all over the world.

Out of the 7 portfolios that are now available on the website dedicated to Vivian Maier's work, I found her self portraits to be exceptionally sensational.








There is something highly captivating in her photographes. She seem like such a strong woman and you can sense her confidence and complexity in the way she decided to capture herself.

If you interested in knowing more about the way Vivian Maier's photographs were discovered, I urge you to watch this short video that try to unfold some of the mystery around her and also tell the story of John Maloof who, in 2007, bought in an auction, a box filled with negatives, that turned out to be a treasure.


March 2015 update:
So great to see more and more interest in Vivian Maier's art.
Finding Vivian Maier - an American documentary film made by John Maloof in 2013, was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature this year.
Another great resource that was brought recently to my attention is the Vivian Maier page on Artsy. It has a great collection of over 80 images (some of them available to purchase as prints), exclusive articles, and up-to-date shows info (Thanks Anthony).