Ephemera Record
Images
Metadata
Object Name |
Label |
Object ID |
2021.052.003 |
Scope & Content |
A rectangular and arched Valmor product label featuring a nude woman applying a substance to her skin from a jar in her hand. The background is red with orange and yellow borders with "Sweet Georgia Brown" at the top in black. There is a blue banner at the bottom with "Skin/Perfume/Distributed & Corp. 1936 By/Valmor Products Co/Chicago, Ill. U.S.A" in white. In 1926, Morton Neumann, a Jewish Hungarian American who grew up in Chicago's Bronzeville neighborhood, set up Valmor Products. He had a background in chemistry and created cosmetics largely aimed at an African American market. The products were mainly sold via mail order catalogs and door-to-door salespeople. Labels were designed by African American graphic artists Charles Dawson and Jay Jackson. These graphic artworks have been on display at museums and exhibits including the Chicago Cultural Center and online at Made in Chicago Museum. The labels often promoted a more overtly sexualized image of an assumed heterosexual Black woman for whom the use of Valmor's products was key to attracting a man. Valmor's beauty products specifically aimed at a Black clientele included hair straightening products as well as the Sweet Georgia Brown Line that encompassed face powders in shades including "Aristocratic Brown" and liquid make up in "Beauty Brown." Sold at a lower price than established Black-owned businesses like those of Annie Turnbo Malone and Madam C. J. Walker, Sweet Georgia Brown became a leading brand in the African American market in the 1930s and 1940s. The company also offered spiritual products such as Aunt Sally's Lucky Dream Incense. The incense label features a racist image of a Black woman holding and pointing to a sign with the numbers 7, 11, and 44, suggesting lucky lottery numbers. |
Title |
Valmor Sweet Georgia Brown Skin Perfume |
Date |
1936 |
Dimensions |
2 13/16" H x 9 1/16" W |
Search Terms |
African Americans--Health and Hygiene Beauty, Personal Commercial Products Cosmetics Cosmetics Industry Labels Neumann, Morton G. Perfumes Valmor Products Co. |