This is an original silver gelatin print of Thelonious Monk at the Newport Jazz Festival in 1959. The photograph was taken by Ted Williams who had unparalleled access to the jazz world from the close of World War II until the Vietnam War. Mr. Williams is arguably the greatest African American photographer and in addition to the jazz world he was also the photographer for Martin Luther King and unofficially for the Civil Rights movement. He is, without question, one of the greatest subject photographers of the 20th century.
The print itself appears to be undisturbed from the point it was originally mounted. I acquired this in an auction along with another Ted Williams silver gelatin of John Coltrane at the Sutherland Lounge in 1961. (No it will not be for sale). The frame does have some chips and scratches. I have tried to document them all in the pictures but feel free to ask for more.