Striking Pose

The striking photos, including many natural haired beauties, that go back to the 1890's will make you proud.

Curator Deborah Willis, Chair of the Photography and Imaging Department at New York University, Tisch School has compiled some amazing images for her book, Posing Beauty: African American Images from the 1890s to the Present. Each snapshot sheds light on the ways in which Blacks have been portrayed, providing a fresh look at Black life against a backdrop of history that merges gender, race, family, class.

Journey Magazine was front and center as Willis took audience members on a photographic journey at the Marion Thompson Wright lecture series Beauty and the Black Body . She engaged us all, and challenged mainstream ideas about Black beauty and Black life.

Take a look at the picture above. Look familiar? That crop-haired beauty is none other than the driving force that helped build Essence Magazine. It's Susan Taylor - pre-cornrows.

#books #art