Although talented, successful and ground-breaking, many of the women in these pages were ignored by mainstream media, but their life's work and attitude stand as inspiration for us still, today. Vintage Black Glamour is a unique, sumptuous and revealing celebration of the lives and indomitable spirit of Black women of a previous era. Alongside the familiar images and stories of renowned performers such as Eartha Kitt, Lena Horne and Aretha Franklin are those of less well-remembered figures such as Bricktop, Pearl Primus, Diana Sands and many, many more.

There’s musician Valaida Snow in 1930s London, conducting a white orchestra in thrall to her Dandridge in the 1950s, striking a pose while her Russian instructor positions her foot Aretha Franklin backstage in Newark in 1969, eyeliner in one hand, fag in the other.Using rarely accessed photographic archives and private collections, inspired by her family history, Nichelle Gainer has unearthed a revealing treasure trove of historic photographs of famous actors, dancers, writers and entertainers who worked in the 20th-century entertainment business, but who rarely appeared in the same publications as their white counterparts. It begins with an 1891 picture of French horsewoman Selika Lazevski, and ends in 1981 with Sister Sledge. Vintage Black Glamour, a hefty, handsome new coffee-table book, is full of such stories, with photographs of those shunned by the spotlight, as well as idiosyncratic, unseen shots of those who weren’t.

Gainer in concise biographies and sharp observations - that remind us of the urgency of this self-construction for these women.

It resonates with stunning images, highlighting sumptuous clothes, meticulous makeup and hair, and seductive poses that establish these women as entertainment, business and fashion icons.īut it is the stories behind these photographs - provided by Ms. The book demonstrates the complex ways celebrities construct themselves for the camera and, ultimately, for the public they want to attract. Vintage Black Glamour uses elegance as a tool for social commentary: By focusing the personal and professional accomplishments of her subjects, and providing plenty of context, Gainer has turned what could have easily been a bourgeois manifesto into a meaningful project.

Nichelle gainer