Golden Age Garb: Clothes from the William P. Gottlieb Photo Collection – Habilitate

If you’re at all interested in menswear, you inevitably spend a lot of time looking through photos. There’s all the stuff on social media, plus a tonne of blog posts and magazine content, at least a quarterly supply of lookbooks from various brands, and a near inexhaustible stock of historical images. 

Looking through old photos is one of my favourite pastimes. Even the most casually snapped Polaroid from decades past can reveal a wealth of fascinating details: What people wore, obviously, but also how they spent their time, where they went on holiday, what they ate, the cars they drove, how they decorated their homes, and so forth. The points of interest are seemingly infinite.

I’ve spent many happy hours in recent months in libraries and online pouring over photo books and archives in search of images to illustrate and inspire the things written about on this site. It’s always a great joy when a previously-unseen store is discovered; an untapped vault cracked open by a first-time viewer. Then there are the ones you return to over and over to relive and rediscover, reserves so rich and plenteous that they feel inexhaustible.

A prime example of the latter is the series of extraordinary photos taken by the American jazz journalist and photographer William P. Gottlieb. It comprises many hundreds of photographs taken in the decade spanning 1938 to 1948 when Gottlieb travelled between New York City and Washington, D.C to document a period now seen by many as jazz music’s Golden Age. Accordingly, Gottlieb captured images of such luminaries as Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Thelonious Monk, Billie Holiday, and many, many more at the height of their powers.

William P. Gottlieb circa 1940 in a rare appearance in front of the camera
Image credit: Library of Congress Music Division / Public domain

Gottlieb — despite what might otherwise be suggested by the fame and abundance of his output — was self-taught, which lends his work a somewhat ragged, improved look that harmonises perfectly with the spontaneous style of music that was his subject. Certainly, most of his photos are of musicians mid flow, cheeks all blown up, sweat pouring off them, sometimes literally blurred at the edges from the kinetic and melodic energy flowing through them. Others show these same artists in repose, relaxing backstage, playing cards on the road, or laughing among friends. Taken together, these images comprise a glorious time capsule of a moment whose vibrant notes still ring out clearly.

You can view the full collection of some 1 600 images here as hosted by the Library of Congress. Posted below, however, you’ll find a selection of images that show off some of the clothes worn by these remarkable musicians. The style of the moment as captured by Gottlieb’s camera is every bit as lively as the music being played but much more readily accessible through his images. It has always been my chief interest in the collection and my reason for returning to it time and again. It is a treasure trove of zoot suits, spearpoint collars, eye-catching neckwear, flashy jewellery, and (perhaps my favourite of all) some truly singular items of leisurewear.

I hope you’ll enjoy these images as much as I have over the years.

Louis Armstrong, Aquarium, New York, N.Y., ca. July 1946 Duke Ellington, Paramount Theater, New York, N.Y., ca. Sept. 1946 Dizzy Gillespie, New York, N.Y., ca. May 1947 Cab Calloway, New York, N.Y.(?), ca. Oct. 1946 Nat King Cole, New York, N.Y., ca. June 1947 Thelonious Monk, Howard McGhee, Roy Eldridge, and Teddy Hill, Minton’s Playhouse, New York, N.Y., ca. Sept. 1947 Leonard Bernstein in his apartment, New York, N.Y., between 1946 and 1948 June Christy and Bob Cooper, 1947 or 1948 Herman Chittison, New York, N.Y., ca. Oct. 1946 Jimmy Crawford, New York, N.Y., between 1946 and 1948 Pete Rugolo and Bob Gioga, 1947 or 1948 Buddy Rich, Strand (?), New York, N.Y., ca. Aug. 1946 Leonard Bernstein, Carnegie Hall, New York, N.Y., between 1946 and 1948 Billy Strayhorn, New York, N.Y., ca. June 1947 Frankie Laine and Jimmy Crawford, New York, N.Y., between 1946 and 1948 Jerry Jerome, ca. June 1947 Milt Gabler, Herbie Hill, Lou Blum, and Jack Crystal, Commodore Record Shop, New York, N.Y., ca. Aug. 1947 Johnny Richards, New York, N.Y., ca. Sept. 1947 Louis Jordan, Paramount Theater (?), New York, N.Y., ca. July 1946 Boyd Raeburn, Edwin A. Finckel’s home, Greenwich Village, New York, N.Y., ca. July 1946 Downbeat, New York, N.Y., ca. 1948 Harry Gibson, Diamond studio, New York, N.Y. (?), ca. Apr. 1947 Sy Oliver, New York, N.Y., ca. Sept. 1946 Louis Armstrong, Aquarium, New York, N.Y., ca. July 1946 Buddy De Franco and Mrs. Buddy De Franco, New York, N.Y., ca. Sept. 1947 Yannich Bruynoche, Rockefeller Center, New York, N.Y., between 1946 and 1948 Billy Butterfield, Columbia Studio (?), New York, N.Y., ca. Mar. 1947 Cab Calloway, Columbia Studio, New York, N.Y., ca. Mar. 1947 Brick Fleagle, home of Brick Fleagle, New York, N.Y., between 1946 and 1948 Harry James, Coca Cola radio show rehearsal, New York, N.Y., ca. Aug. 1946 Louis Jordan, between 1938 and 1948 Joe Marsala, Adele Girard, and Toots Thielemans, 52nd Street, New York, N.Y., ca. 1948 Charles Delaunay, 52nd Street, New York, N.Y., ca. Oct. 1946 Eddie Condon, Eddie Condon’s, New York, N.Y., ca. June 1946 Cozy Cole, New York, N.Y. (?), ca. Sept. 1946 Ahmet M. Ertegun and Nesuhi Ertegun, Turkish Embassy (?), Washington, D.C., 194- Glen Gray, Paramount Theater, New York, N.Y., ca. July 1946 George Wettling, New York, N.Y., between 1946 and 1948 Gordon Gullickson in his shop, 1100 25th Street NW, Washington, D.C., ca. Dec. 1941 Vic Damone, between 1938 and 1948 Snub Mosley, William P. Gottlieb’s office, New York, N.Y., between 1946 and 1948 Shorty Warren, Rosalie Allen, Ernest Tubb, Cy Sweat, Dave Miller, Radio Dot, Smokey Warren, Dick Richards, Minnie Pearl, Bob McCoy, and Smokey Swan, Carnegie Hall, New York, N.Y., Sept. 1

All images are free of any known copyright restrictions and are taken from the Library of Congress Gottlieb Jazz Photo collection.