Photograph of Billie Holiday and her dog Mister

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 Billie Holiday. She is depicted grasping the knob of a white French door, flanked by matching door-height windows. Her proper left foot is on the ground and her proper right foot is on the step above leading to the door. She wears a half hat decorated with beaded netting around the crown and flower embellishments on the proper right side. She is also wearing a dark belted dress, a medium toned cape, and holds a pair of dark gloves and a rectangular handbag in her proper left hand. A medium sized dog with pointed ears is seated on the ground below her. In the bottom left corner of the image is a handwritten inscription in black ink that reads, [To Laura / my girl / I'll always love you / Will never forget / The great thing / Lady Day].

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