Description:

This is a set of six collectible French phone cards, each highlighting an American jazz legend as part of the "L'Art Vocal" series featuring iconic African-American vocal artists. Each card carries the value "TELECARTE 50" and prominently displays a sepia-toned or monochrome photographic portrait of a renowned jazz performer framed in a circular inset centered on the card. The portraits are bordered by an ornate design and further framed with an arc bearing the artist’s name in a classical serif font at the top. The lower text reads "L'ART VOCAL," emphasizing vocal artistry.

The six individuals featured are Louis Armstrong, Cab Calloway, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Bessie Smith, and Fats Waller. Each card background color varies, coordinated with the frame color on the left side where the chip is embedded. Louis Armstrong’s card is gold with a maroon side strip, showing him in a formal suit. Cab Calloway appears in a white tuxedo against a gold background with a purple side, smiling and holding a baton. Ella Fitzgerald’s card is gold with dark green text and side strip, showing a candid photo of her smiling. Billie Holiday’s card shows her wearing a flower in her hair, on a gold background with a dark olive green side strip. Bessie Smith’s portrait is purple toned on a gold background with a deep royal purple strip. Fats Waller is featured laughing in a light-colored suit on a gold background with a dark brown side strip.

This set collectively celebrates the vocal art of these pioneering jazz figures, honoring their contributions to music history. The cards clearly state their monetary value for use as phone cards in France and form a visually uniform series that pays tribute to African-American jazz giants.

Since we have the world's largest inventory of USA phonecards for collectors, you will not necessarily receive the identical serial/batch/PIN number that we have scanned/pictured.