1957 (negative); before 1999 (print)
Billie Holiday and Hazel Scott at a Party
Roy DeCaravaAmerican, 1919 - 2009
At the time of this photograph, neither Billie Holiday nor Hazel Scott could perform live jazz: Holiday’s cabaret card had been revoked after a drug bust in the late 1940s; Scott was abiding by the wishes of her politician-pastor husband. Here Roy DeCarava’s sparing use of light—a hallmark of his aesthetic—shows a quiet moment in the their otherwise tumultuous lives, underscoring their enduring friendship.
DeCarava’s captivating, insightful portrayals of Harlem life made him one of the most respected and influential American photographers of the 1900s.
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