Roy DeCarava, 1919-2009

Roy DeCarava died on October 27, 2009, at the age of 89. During his long career he photographed Billie Holiday, John Coltrane, and other jazz greats. He was, as well, a master at capturing beauty and grace in everyday life. The obituary in The New York Times said, “His books, like ‘The Sweet Flypaper of Life,’ a best-selling 1955 collaboration with Langston Hughes, and his most famous photographs were hugely influential, paving the way for younger photographers like Beuford Smith and Carrie Mae Weems.”