BGuthrie Photos: DC -- Natl Museum of American History -- Exhibit: The First Lady of Song: Ella Fitzgerald at 100

DC -- Natl Museum of American History -- Exhibit: The First Lady of Song: Ella Fitzgerald at 100:

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Description of Pictures: The First Lady of Song: Ella Fitzgerald at 100
March 30, 2017 – April 2, 2018
Ella Fitzgerald (1917-1996) was one of the greatest American singers. She had a warm and lovely voice, superb rhythmic sense, considerable versatility, meticulous intonation, and exceptional talent at “scat” singing, Fitzgerald also produced melodic lines that put her in the category of great instrumental improvisers.
Fitzgerald succeeded in the male-dominated field of jazz. By overcoming the odds, breaking barriers, and setting precedents, she paved the way for other women to follow her inspiring example.

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Specific picture descriptions: Photos above with "i" icons next to the bracketed sequence numbers (e.g. "[1] ") are described as follows:
1. SIAHEF_170408_004.JPG: The First Lady of Song Ella Fitzgerald at 100
2. SIAHEF_170408_015.JPG: Celebrity Icon By the 1970s and 1980s, Fitzgerald was an icon sought by advertisers such as Continental Airlines, Jim Beam bourbon, Memorex recording tape, and American Express. Breaking through racial barriers, she was one of the first African American female celebrities to appear in advertising aimed at a general audience. Suit, skirt, & hat 1986 Fitzgerald wore this outfit for her final commercial campaign for American Express. Don Loper designed the suit and skirt.
3. SIAHEF_170408_024.JPG: Photo 1986 Fitzgerald modeled for a photo shoot by Annie Leibovitz in Beverly Hills, California. This photo was used in American Express card advertising.
4. SIAHEF_170408_027.JPG: Ella Fitzgerald (1917–1996) was a gifted American jazz artist. She had a warm and lovely voice, with notable rhythmic sense, versatility, and intonation, as well as exceptional talent at scat singing. Inventing her vocals as she sang, she produced melodic lines that put her in the category of great instrumental improvisers. In a career spanning seven decades, she created a legacy of acclaimed performances and a celebrated body of work. These successes were hard-won. Fitzgerald, a young black woman rising from a childhood scarred by poverty and abuse, struggled to enter a field dominated by white men. But through her drive and talent, she paved the way for other women to follow her inspiring example.
5. SIAHEF_170408_029.JPG: Sheet music 1938 A-Tisket, A-Tasket, co-written by Fitzgerald, was her first hit record. This sheet-music edition was intended for amateur and professional musicians.
6. SIAHEF_170408_037.JPG: 78 rpm record 1938 Fitzgerald's first hit recording was A Tisket, A-Tasket.
7. SIAHEF_170408_043.JPG: Sheet music 1939 I Found My Yellow Basket was an "answer song" to A-Tisket, A-Tasket, whose lyrics include the line "I lost my yellow basket."
8. SIAHEF_170408_046.JPG: Booking cards 1946-53 The management of Harlem's famed Apollo Theater kept booking cards that detailed Fitzgerald's appearances during a seven-year period.
9. SIAHEF_170408_056.JPG: Transcription disc 1940 Fitzgerald starred in her own radio program. This 78-rpm transcription disc recorded a live performance from the Savoy Ballroom, in New York, on January 22, 1940.
10. SIAHEF_170408_059.JPG: Breaking Through Ella Fitzgerald was discovered at an amateur night at Harlem's Apollo Theater, and invited to try out for bandleader Chick Webb. He was impressed by her technical and creative talents and hired her to sing with his orchestra. When Webb died in 1939, the 22-year-old singer took over the orchestra, becoming one of the first woman musicians to lead her own band. As her experience and skill grew, so did her fame and popularity.
11. SIAHEF_170408_062.JPG: Contract 1954 Fitzgerald began working with producer Norman Granz in the late 1940s. She initially performed as part of his Jazz at the Philharmonic troupe. He later became her manager.
12. SIAHEF_170408_067.JPG: Photo around 1956 Norman Granz owned several record labels, including Verve, and produced many of Fitzgerald's recordings.
13. SIAHEF_170408_070.JPG: Work permit 1981 This work permit is one of several that allowed Fitzgerald to perform across the globe.
14. SIAHEF_170408_084.JPG: Letter around 1960 Singer Pearl Bailey wrote this affectionate note to her friend Fitzgerald.
15. SIAHEF_170408_091.JPG: Passport 1959 Entrance and departure stamps from many countries in Fitzgerald's 1959 U.S. passport offer evidence of her active international performance schedule.
16. SIAHEF_170408_096.JPG: Peak of Her Powers By the 1950s, Ella Fitzgerald was at the peak of her vocal powers. Her Songbook series came to be regarded as a cornerstone of recorded 20th-century popular song. Her takes on the standards proved that women could be more than singers of songs -- they could apply talent and creative vision to give pieces new life. Her renditions also broadened her popularity; she became a fixture on television and on international stages.
17. SIAHEF_170408_100.JPG: Program 1959 This program booklet details Fitzgerald's performance at the Carter Barron Amphitheatre in Washington, D.C.
18. SIAHEF_170408_103.JPG: Movie theater lobby card 1958 The motion picture St. Louis Blues featured Fitzgerald as a singer.
19. SIAHEF_170408_104.JPG: Magazine 1956 Fitzgerald appeared multiple times on the cover of Down Beat, America's leading jazz magazine.
20. SIAHEF_170408_108.JPG: Keys to cities 1977–1983 This boxed display holds keys to cities presented to Fitzgerald in honor of her accomplishments
21. SIAHEF_170408_114.JPG: Memorex trophy late 1970s Fitzgerald received this trophy in appreciation for her appearance in print and TV ads for Memorex recording tape.
22. SIAHEF_170408_121.JPG: NAACP President's Award 1975 The NAACP, one of America's oldest civil rights organizations, presented Fitzgerald with its President's Award.
23. SIAHEF_170408_128.JPG: Telegram 1957 Bandleader and composer Duke Ellington sent this telegram to Fitzgerald, who was performing in Chicago.
24. SIAHEF_170408_134.JPG: Postage stamp 1996 The U.S. Postal Service issued a commemorative postage stamp honoring Fitzgerald in 2007. Courtesy of U.S. Postal Service.
25. SIAHEF_170408_142.JPG: Honors and Recognition Dubbed "The First Lady of Song," Ella Fitzgerald earned myriad awards for her work. Her musical achievements were celebrated by professional and academic organizations. She was also honored for her philanthropy on behalf of orphaned and disadvantaged children. She established the Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation in 1993, which among its causes helps at-risk children and encourages literacy and musical education.
26. SIAHEF_170408_144.JPG: Alpha Kappa Alpha trophy 1968 Fitzgerald received this Yellow Basket trophy, alluding to her song A-Tisket, A-Tasket, from the Tau Omega chapter of the national black sorority Alpha Kappa Alpha.
27. SIAHEF_170408_152.JPG: Grammy Award 1958 Fitzgerald earned thirteen Grammy Awards, including this 1958 trophy.
28. SIAHEF_170408_157.JPG: Grammy Award 1990 Fitzgerald won this Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Performance – Female.
29. SIAHEF_170408_164.JPG: Lifetime Achievement Award medallion 1979 Fitzgerald received this Kennedy Center Honors Lifetime Achievement Award.
30. SIAHEF_170408_172.JPG: Diploma 1986 Fitzgerald was awarded this honorary doctorate by Yale University.
31. SIAHEF_170408_177.JPG: Citation 1980 Fitzgerald received this honorary citation from Howard University.
32. SIAHEF_170408_181.JPG: Magazine advertisements around 1975 and 1987 In demand as a celebrity, Fitzgerald promoted Memorex recording tape and the American Express card.
33. SIAHEF_170408_191.JPG: Credit card 1961 Fitzgerald, a celebrity spokesperson for the company, carried her own American Express card.
34. SIAHEF_170408_197.JPG: Magazine advertisements around 1975 and 1987 In demand as a celebrity, Fitzgerald promoted Memorex recording tape and the American Express card.
35. SIAHEF_170408_210.JPG: LP cover 1962 From 1962, Ella Swings Brightly with Nelson features the work of Nelson Riddle, who also wrote arrangements for Nat "King" Cole and Frank Sinatra.
36. SIAHEF_170408_211.JPG: LP cover 1956 Also issued in 1956, Ella and Louis was the first of several collaborative albums recorded by Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong.
37. SIAHEF_170408_214.JPG: LP cover 1956 In 1956, Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Cole Porter Songbook became the first in Fitzgerald's series of nine Songbook recordings.
38. SIAHEF_170408_216.JPG: LP cover 1955 First Lady of Song contains a selection of Fitzgerald's recordings for Decca Records from 1947-55.
39. SIAHEF_170408_219.JPG: Poster 1986 This poster features a portrait of Fitzgerald by Pablo Picasso, created with only a few strokes of his pen.
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