Backstage: An Unfurling of the Johnson Publishing Company | Beauty & Fashion

This event occurred on Nov 7, 2024.

Throughout its 75-year history, the Johnson Publishing Company (JPC) showcased the gamut of makeup, hair, skincare, fashion design, and style in Black culture. Elaborate photographic spreads captured the allure and grace of actresses such as Lena Horne and Dorothy Dandridge, runway shows featured models Pat Cleveland, Richard Roundtree, and Von Gretchen Shepard, and the images captivated audiences with the latest American and European fashion trends. This conversation with Getty archivist Skyla S. Hearn, archivist Camille Lawrence, and historian Dr. Rikki Byrd explores the JPC's coverage of beauty and fashion in magazines like Ebony and JET and the company's overall contribution to the beauty and fashion industries.

The Johnson Publishing Company Archive is owned by Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) and J. Paul Getty Trust. In 2019, a consortium made up of the Ford Foundation, J. Paul Getty Trust, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and Smithsonian Institution acquired the JPC Archive. In 2022, ownership was transferred to NMAAHC and the J. Paul Getty Trust, with a commitment to make the archive available to the public by 2029.

Presenters:

Skyla S. Hearn is an archivist, photographer, and writer dedicated to supporting communities marginally reflected in broader historical contexts; centering community archival practices; and committed to amplifying documentation created from first-person perspectives of unsung individuals and groups. Hearn contributes to the ongoing preservation of Black cultural heritage and is a proud Chicagoan.

Dr. Rikki Byrd is a writer, educator, and curator. Byrd is the founder of Black Fashion Archive and the co-founder of the Fashion and Race Syllabus. She is currently assistant professor of visual culture studies at the University of Texas at Austin. She spends her time between Austin and Chicago.

Camille Lawrence is the founder of the Black Beauty Archive. The mission of the Black Beauty Archive is to preserve the rich history of Black Beauty Culture. Lawrence's background as an art historian and beauty practitioner informs her approach to archival work, which focuses on the innovations of artistic expression across the African Diaspora.

This program is associated with the Getty Research Institute's African American Art History Initiative, which focuses on the history, practices, and cultural legacies of artists of African American and African diasporic heritage. The initiative aims to provide a more robust and accurate account of American art through Black history. https://www.getty.edu/projects/africa...

Visit the Getty Research Institute's Exhibitions and Events page for more free programs: https://www.getty.edu/research/exhibi...

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