Photograph of Cootie Williams playing the trumpet

Source catalog description

This description refers to material held by Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Visual details below describe the original material.

A silver gelatin print depicting a black-and-white image of Cootie Williams playing a trumpet. Williams is centrally depicted from the knees up, performing on a stage. He is facing the viewer, with his body turned slightly towards the left edge of the image. There are two (2) male musicians seated behind music stands behind him. The Williams is wearing a black, double breasted suit, white collared shirt and black bow tie. He has a white pocket square in his proper left breast pocket and he is holding the trumpet to his lips. The musicians behind him are wearing black tuxedos with white shirts and black bow ties. The man on the right is playing a brass saxophone. The music stands are decorated with a zig zag pattern. The curtain in the background is decorated with outlines of stars. There are no inscriptions on the front or the back of the photograph.

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