African American Beauty Pageant Winners and Models Photo Archive - 1960s-70s

African American, Fashion

Photo Archive

[African American] [Fashion & Beauty] Archive of 7 black and white silver gelatin photographs of Black fashion models from a Los Angeles studio, and a beauty pageant winner in Colorado. 1960s-1970s. Most measure 8" x 10", with one measuring 5" x 10". One photograph is a press release from 1971, showing Fern Tresvan, who was chosen and crowned as Miss Black Colorado before competing in the national finals at Madison Square Garden in New York. 6 photographs are professional studio photos of Black model Carol King and were acquired from her Los Angeles, California estate. Carol King, formerly Carol Kaufman began her career as a model, then went to work at a Los Angeles area radio station KLJH, where her job was to meet and greet the bands that were appearing on the radio shows. She went on to become a music promoter for several record labels, including Warner Bros. and 20th Century Fox. In the course of her work, she was professionally photographed both individually and with bands, musicians and other celebrities. These photographs were taken at two different studios; Models International & Photography and Greg Mendes in Los Angeles. All photos seem to be of the same Black model over the course of a decade. Two earlier photos are from the same shoot as she's shown in a swimming pool with short hair akin to Monroe. Later photographs from the late 1960s to early 1970s show her with longer hair in four different outfits. One photo shows her with a straight in a belted 1960s style one piece swimsuit and pumps. Another photo shows her with a tight curled darker hair style, in a light sleeveless dress sitting upright on a leopard blanket. Two other photos show her in two different late 1960s to early 1970s style outfits with longer softer curls and lighter hair. One photo has her in a mini dress leaning on the same leopard print blanket, and the other photo in a heavily patterned long sleeve floral gown with the same blanket. Minor edge wear, overall very good condition. Modeling in fashion and print has historically been dominated by white women, reflecting a bias in beauty standards in the United States. These images show black women claiming space in the often exclusionary fashion world of the mid-late 20th century.

Item #20885

Price: $550.00