Stage Door Canteen photographs

1943-1945

The Stage Door Canteen was a New York City venue run by the American Theatre Wing that offered food, socialization, and entertainment free of charge for U.S. military men during World War II. The original, New York City venue opened on March 2, 1942 in the basement of a theater on 44th Street in New York's theater district. Eventually, Stage Door Canteens were set up in cities across the country, as well as in London and Paris. The venues closed with the end of World War II in 1945. The collection consists of 278 black and white photographs of musicians and audience members at the Stage Door Canteen from the years 1943 to 1945. Photographs were taken by several different New York City news photographers and primarily depict musicians in the act of performing. Musicians include instrumentalists and singers from genres of classical, jazz, country, blues, and gospel.