Ebony Fashion Fair producer/director Eunice Walker Johnson, in gown by Hanae Mori Couture, poses with models attired in creations by several of the more than 100 designers featured in the traveling show, August 1995. Photograph by unknown. Johnson Publishing Company Archive. Courtesy J. Paul Getty Trust and Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture 
Advertisements for Fashion Fair Cosmetics, 1970s, Courtesy of Black Vintage Black Glamour by Nichelle Gainer 
Exhibition: “Inspiring Beauty: 50 Years of Ebony Fashion Fair” chronicles the seminal fashion show that took place every year between 1958-2009. Courtesy of (William Atkins/GW Today)
Backstage: An Unfurling of the JPC | Beauty & Fashion
Event Date: Thursday, November 7, 2024
ONLINE ONLY
Please note this event will be held at 10am PDT | 12pm CDT
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 Naomi Sims, 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.
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. She is the founder of Black Fashion Archive and the co-founder of the Fashion and Race Syllabus. Byrd 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, whose mission 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.
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 support archival processing and digitization including physical and digital infrastructure over a seven-year period.
The conversation will be available on the Getty Research Institute YouTube channel following the event.
Images are credited to the original creators.
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