Print of Cab Calloway conducting his band

Cab Calloway was a prominent Black entertainer of the Harlem Renaissance. Known for his scat singing, Calloway's career as a bandleader and singer spanned over sixty-five years.

This print of Cab Calloway leading his band in the 1930s was likely taken in the Cotton Club - given that Calloway was one of the original bandleaders at the Cotton Club. The octahedron-shaped light in the background also appears in other photos of the club.

A black and white photograph of Cab Calloway conducting a band. Calloway is pictured at the right side of the image, in profile. He is turned facing towards the band, on the left. His proper left arm is raised, with a conductor's baton lightly grasped in his open hand. His head is pulled back, his face and gaze turned upwards, and his mouth open. He wears a light colored, double-breasted suit jacket and matching pants with a dark stripe up the side. The band members are gathered closely before him and to his proper left, wearing matching jackets and playing their instruments. From the bottom left is a trumpet player, a trombone player with slide outstretched, and an upright bass ...