Johnson Publishing Company Opens Historic Image Archive
EBONY Collection: Two Thousand Images Available to Public for Print
Photos: Muhammad Ali, Billie Holiday, Miles Davis, Tina Turner…
Pulitzer Prize Winning Photographer Moneta Sleet Images Included
Art.com Specialty Retail Partner
EMERYVILLE, CA (November 12, 2012)—Johnson Publishing Company, publisher of EBONY and JET magazines and the owner of Fashion Fair Cosmetics, a global prestige cosmetics company dedicated to Black Women, has opened its historic photo archive—one of the world’s largest and most comprehensive documenting the rich, complex Black experience in the United States spanning the past 70 years—to the public. The lifestyle brand’s Chairman, Linda Johnson Rice, curated the 2,000 images from the company’s more than a million image photo archive released as the “EBONY Collection.”
“A story. A memory. A moment sealed in time—epitomizes each photograph featured in the EBONY Collection,” said Johnson Rice. “Since 1942, my family has captured history-making pictures and shared them with our readers. I am thrilled to partner with Art.com to share these legendary threads of history with the world.”
Johnson Publishing’s photographers took images of Black America, with unfettered access. The EBONY Collection includes photos of African Americans across “Vintage Covers,” “Historic Figures,” and “Famous Personalities” categories. Famous faces and moments in time captured include images of Muhammad Ali, Billie Holiday, Miles Davis, Tina Turner, Martin Luther King, Jr., The March on Washington, the Bus Boycott and many more. The EBONY Collection features more than 30 famous African American photographers including Pulitzer Prize Winner Moneta Sleet.
“We are very excited to partner with the legendary Johnson Publishing Company to bring this extraordinary collection of historic images to the world.” said Geoffroy Martin, CEO Art.com, Inc., the world's largest online retailer of wall art.
Prints start at $35, and are available in a wide range of sizes, frames and unique finishes including print on canvas or wood mount – offering everyone the chance to own the perfect piece.
The release of the images to the public further extends the Johnson Publishing lifestyle positioning; bringing the brand to life. This specialty retail release complements the company’s existing image licensing business. The company licenses covers and images globally in partnership with the Associated Press and independently; it also licenses footage from its various interviews and television shows.
ABOUT Johnson Publishing
Johnson Publishing Company, LLC, founded by John H. and Eunice W. Johnson in 1942, is the leading African American media publisher. Headquartered in Chicago, with New York and London offices, the Company publishes EBONY and JET, ranked No. 1 and No. 3, respectively, among Black American magazines, and owns Fashion Fair Cosmetics, a global prestige cosmetics brand for Black Women launched in 1973. Johnson Publishing operated the Ebony Fashion Fair, the world's largest touring fashion show, until 2009; it raised more than $55 million for scholarships and various charitable causes. Additional Information about Johnson Publishing Company, LLC is available at www.johnsonpublishing.com.
About Art.com Inc.
With more than 12 million customers in 120 countries worldwide, Art.com Inc. is the world's largest online specialty retailer of high-quality wall art. The company was founded in 1998 with one goal—to help people find the art they love so they can love their spaces more. Offering an unparalleled assortment of art images, Art.com’s vision is to forever lead the way art is experienced and consumed. Art.com Inc. runs three sites in the USA—Art.com, AllPosters.com and ArtistRising.com—and has a strong international presence with 25 local sites in Europe, Japan, Canada, Australia, Mexico, and South America.
The company offers custom framing and specialty printing, interactive visualization tools to help people find the perfect piece of art for their space and an app for iPad called artCircles, that lets users explore art from a hand-picked selection of curated collections. Art.com, Inc. is a privately held company headquartered in Emeryville, CA, with other facilities in Ohio, North Carolina and the Netherlands. Art.com. We Are Art, YOU+ART and artCircles are trademarks of Art.com Inc. For more information, visit www.art.com.