Black Beauty Archives

Curated from the hearts and minds of Black women, Black Beauty Archives  encompasses the history of our past, documents the present while imagining the future. Our mission is to preserve, document and celebrate the history of Black Beauty through cosmetics and beauty culture.

Objects include rare vintage beauty ads, magazines, press photos, stamps, beauty tools and cosmetics. Exclusive oral histories from beauty professionals and creatives alike, are added to our collection on bimonthly basis. BBA will continue to add to these collections, expanding our archival holdings to reflect the dynamic aesthetics of Black Beauty.


Your generous donations will allow us to:

1. Hire (2) PT Archivists/ Research Associates

2. Fund Several Artist Residencies for Beauty Professionals, Visual Artists and Beauty Scholars (Remote due to COVID-19)

3. Secure rare objects to expand the archive

4. Honorariums for oral historians, artists and their contributions to the archive

5. Fund annual database hosting & maintenance fee’s via Omeka

6. Fund (1) part-time internship for research, digitization and special projects

7. Fund an engineer to oversee all remote and in-person panels, interviews and oral histories. Editing raw files, publishing audio and oral histories to stream on various platforms. (Apple podcasts, Google podcasts, Spotify, breaker, cast box, overcast, pocket casts, and radio public.)

We will provide 100% transparency on how the funds are being spent. Bi-Weekly updates and acquisitions will be shared on GoFundMe & through BBA’s mailing list, reflecting how donations are expanding archival collections.

Your contributions will help preserve, document and make accessible the history of Black Beauty culture! Any donation amount is greatly appreciated !

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