Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong
This 1946 image features two legendary musicians collaborating. Louis Armstrong blows his trumpet while Duke Ellington plays the piano. The two practice the Leonard Feather composition “Long, Long Journey” in the RCA Victor recording studio in New York City. The two jazz legends worked together on a recording for the first time ever.
Jackie Robinson
In this infrequently seen image from 1951, Brooklyn Dodgers second baseman Jackie Robinson exchanges his baseball bat for a tennis racket. A celebrity tennis tournament was staged to raise money for the American National Theater and Academy, and Robinson was one of the participants. Robinson receives advice from tennis great Althea Gibson, who in 1956 would become the first black athlete to win a Grand Slam title.
