Aretha Franklin, New York City, 1960

The way this photo captures Aretha’s transition from gospel to that jazz-pop sound is incredible—you can almost hear the influence of Sam Cooke in her expression. The archival quality feels like a real piece of music history, not just a poster.

The grain in the black-and-white print captures Aretha’s expression so perfectly, it feels like I’m right there in that 1960 studio session. The archival paper has a nice weight to it, too—not flimsy like some cheap posters I’ve bought before.

I framed this photo in my living room, and the silver gelatin print brings out such depth in her expression from that 1960 Columbia session. It feels like a real piece of music history hanging there.