--- description: For the centennial of the birth of the First Lady of Song, see artifacts featured in a Smithsonian exhibition about her life. title: Ella Fitzgerald at 100: Jazz Music That Defined a Century image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt327e9489b817cb4a/6988c1830a4a223bc69cd8fa/170405-ella-fitzgerald-01.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [History](/section/history/) ## History Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Celebrating Ella Fitzgerald's Life Through the Objects That Defined Her Career by [Lily Rothman](/author/lily-rothman/) and [Liz Ronk](/author/liz-ronk/) Apr 25, 2017 1:00 PM CUT  LP cover First Lady of Song, c. 1955: Contains a selection of Fitzgerald’s recordings for Decca Records from 1947-55. LP cover First Lady of Song, c. 1955: Contains a selection of Fitzgerald’s recordings for Decca Records from 1947-55.Courtesy of Smithsonian National Museum of American History by [Lily Rothman](/author/lily-rothman/) and [Liz Ronk](/author/liz-ronk/) Apr 25, 2017 1:00 PM CUT It was 100 years ago, on April 25, 1917, that legendary jazz singer [Ella Fitzgerald](http://time.com/3879596/ella-fitzgerald-and-friends-photos-of-jazz-greats/ "undefined") was born. To mark the centennial anniversary of her birth, the National Museum of American History is telling her story with the artifacts of her life, a few of which can be seen above. From record covers to sheet music to advertisements, they trace her path to fame. When she died in 1996, TIME’s Jay Cocks [noted](http://time.com/vault/issue/1996-06-24/page/139/ "undefined") that she had “spread the treasure of her voice over thousands of songs and half a dozen generations.” That treasure, he explained, had defined the course of her young life: --- > “” --- And, in the years that followed, it also defined the sound of American life. Especially in the 1950s, after she began doing a series of “songbook” albums focusing on the works of individual composers and lyricists, she more than earned the title “First Lady of Song.” The Smithsonian exhibition [_The First Lady of Song: Ella Fitzgerald at 100_ ](http://americanhistory.si.edu/exhibitions/ella-fitzgerald-100 "undefined")will be [on view](http://americanhistory.si.edu/ella-fitzgerald-100 "undefined") at the National Museum of American History through April 2, 2018.  LP cover First Lady of Song, c. 1955: Contains a selection of Fitzgerald’s recordings for Decca Records from 1947-55. Courtesy of Smithsonian National Museum of American History  Sheet Music A-Tisket, A-Tasket, c. 1938: Co-written by Fitzgerald, this was her first hit record. This sheet-music edition was intended for amateur and professional musicians. Courtesy of Smithsonian National Museum of American History  Magazine Advertisements circa 1975-76\. In demand as a celebrity, Fitzgerald promoted Memorex recording tape Courtesy of Smithsonian National Museum of American History  LP Cover Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Cole Porter Songbook, c. 1956: This became the first in Fitzgerald’s series of nine Songbook recordings. Courtesy of Smithsonian National Museum of American History  Magazine Advertisements circa 1988\. In demand as a celebrity, Fitzgerald promoted the American Express card. Courtesy of Smithsonian National Museum of American History  Sheet music I Found My Yellow Basket, c. 1939: An “answer song” to A-Tisket, A-Tasket, whose lyrics include the line “I lost my yellow basket.” Courtesy of Smithsonian National Museum of American History  LP cover Ella and Louis, c. 1956: Ella and Louis was the first of several collaborative albums recorded by Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong. 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