African American beauty collection of the Schlesinger Library, ca.1942-1975
Overview
Brochures, catalogs, price lists, advertisements, and product labels for health and beauty products marketed towards African American women; photographs of Black beauty pageant winners; and Black beauty pageant brochures, application forms, contest rules, and advice for contestants.
Dates
- Creation: 1942-1975
Language of Materials
Materials in English.
Access Restrictions:
Access. Collection is open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
Copyright. Copyright in materials in the African American collection of the Schlesinger Library may be held by their authors, or the authors' heirs or assigns.
Copying. Papers may be copied in accordance with the library's usual procedures.
Extent
.71 linear feet (1/2 file box, 1 card file box)The African American beauty collection of the Schlesinger Library contains brochures, catalogs, price lists, advertisements, and product labels for health and beauty products marketed towards African American women; photographs of Black beauty pageant winners; and Black beauty pageant brochures, application forms, contest rules, and advice for contestants.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Accession number: 2022-M145, 2022-M169, 2022-M203, 2023-M12, 2023-M39, 2023-M168, 2023-M185, 2023-M202
Materials in the African American beauty collection of the Schlesinger Library were acquired by the Schlesinger Library from Caroliniana in 2022, from Second Shelf Books in 2022, from Linda Lacy in 2023, from Max Rambod Rare Books in 2023, and from Eclectibles in 2023.
Processing Information
Processed: October 2022
By: Paula Aloisio
Updated and additional material added: February 2024
By: Johanna Carll
Folder #1.4 was previously cataloged as B/G618 and other materials were previously cataloged as part of the Advertising and trade card collection of the Schlesinger Library.
The Schlesinger Library attempts to provide a basic level of preservation and access for all collections, and does more extensive processing of higher priority collections as time and resources permit. Finding aids may be updated periodically to account for new acquisitions to the collection and/or revisions in arrangement and description.
Genre / Form
Topical
- African American women in advertising
- African American women--Health and hygiene
- Beauty contests--United States
- Beauty, Personal
- Feminine beauty (Aesthetics)
- Hair--Care and hygiene
- Hairdressing of African Americans
- Hairdressing of Black people
- Hairdressing--Equipment and supplies
- Human skin color--Social aspects
- Women--Health and hygiene--United States
- Title
- African American beauty collection of the Schlesinger Library, ca.1942-1975: A Finding Aid
- Author
- Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America
- Language of description
- eng
- Sponsor
- Processing of this collection was made possible by gifts from the Class of 1957 Schlesinger Library Fund, the Kim A. Bendheim Fund, and the Alice Jeannette Ward Fund.
- EAD ID
- sch02171
Repository Details
Part of the Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute Repository
The preeminent research library on the history of women in the United States, the Schlesinger Library documents women's lives from the past and present for the future. In addition to its traditional strengths in the history of feminisms, women’s health, and women’s activism, the Schlesinger collections document the intersectional workings of race and ethnicity, gender, sexuality, and class in American history.