Seattle's Jackson Street jazz clubs flourished in the first half of the twentieth century, with their popularity peaking in the late 1930s through early 1950s. Seattle-born photographer Al Smith was a familiar figure in the clubs, often taking pictures of musicians and patrons, then returning the following week to sell prints.

Singer Ernestine Anderson may still have been a high school student when Smith photograpahed her at the Black and Tan, a nightclub on Seattle’s Jackson Street. Her family had moved to Seattle from Texas in 1944, when her father was seeking wartime work. She sang with the Garfield High School band along with Quincy Jones and other future jazz greats and, after quitting high school, went on to a six-decade career.

Caption information source: The Seattle Times: March 11, 2016.