Ebony, Jet Photo Archive Fetches $30 Million at Auction

From the July 26, 2019, Chicago Sun-Times by Sam Charles and Mitchell Armentrout.

The iconic photo archive of Ebony and Jet magazines, which chronicled 70 years' worth of black history and culture, has a new owner.

A consortium of philanthropic groups announced its $30 million acquisition at auction, Thursday from Johnson Publishing, Ebony's parent company and promised to donate the treasure trove of history to the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, the Getty Institution and other leading cultural institutions.

The collection has more than 4 million prints and negatives including photographs of Martin Luther King Jr., Sammy Davis Jr., Diana Ross, Nat "King" Cole, Muhammad Ali, Jackie Robinson, Prince and Stevie Wonder and many others.

There are also photos of everyday life for black Americans from church to food to fashion.

As a history person, I am so glad these people bought the photos and are donating them to organizations who will take care of them as well as make them available to the public.

Thanks.  --Cooter