The Library of Congress has a great set of photographs by William P. Gottlieb, documenting the jazz scene in NYC and Washington D.C. from 1938 to 1948 (aka the Golden Age of Jazz). Here are some photos from the jazz scene around New York at that time (check out the rest here). Gottlieb came to New York City after World War II to pursue journalism. He worked as a writer-photographer for Down Beat magazine (the leading jazz magazine at the time).