Smithsonian’s Museum Of African American History And Culture Acquires Jet And Ebony Archive

The archive of Ebony and Jet magazines, containing more than 4 million photographs, will be distributed among a number of cultural institutions, including the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture and the Getty Research Institute.

Johnson Publishing’s historic archive was purchased by the Ford Foundation, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, and The J. Paul Getty Trust for $30 million. The purchase is pending court approval because it was part of the auction of Johnson Publishing’s assets after the company filed for bankruptcy, according to The Washington Post.

James Cuno, president of The J. Paul Getty Trust, said the archive was the greatest “repository of the history of the modern African American experience” “Saving it and making it available to the public is a great honor and a grave responsibility,” Cuno said in a statement.

“This iconic and unique collection will stand the test of time, documenting an essential part of American history over an extraordinary period,” MacArthur Foundation President Julia Stasch said in a statement. “We are pleased to collaborate to acquire the archive and to preserve it for the benefit of scholars, the public, and future generations forever.”