Professor of history emeritus at wlu and co founder of the school s africana studies. Aunt jemima is perhaps the oldest and most enduring example of a brand built on a black stereotype. The story goes that in the late 1940 s gordon harwell one of the founders of converted brand rice.
Unlike aunt jemima uncle ben is unrelated to forbidden antebellum imagery. As riché richardson pointed out in 2015 the white founders of the pancake mix brand drew inspiration from the minstrel song old aunt jemima a staple that was performed by men in. Ethel ernestine harper was the last real face of aunt jemima syrup before becoming a black history teacher and.
Last face of aunt jemima brand became first black history teacher in morristown. A line from a 1927. Aunt jemima pancake mix a labor saving product was marketed with comparisons to a time and place when some american white women had the ultimate labor saving device.
From there the company tried to find someone to be a living trademark for the company. The two founders of aunt jemima in need of money sold the company to the r t. Nancy green march 4 1834 august 30 1923 was a storyteller cook activist and the first of many african american models hired to promote a corporate trademark as aunt jemima the famous aunt jemima recipe was not her recipe but she became the advertising world s first living trademark.
In 1889 the creators of aunt jemima charles rutt and charles underwood sold the company to r t davis who soon found nancy green in chicago. Nancy green was born into slavery in 1834 in montgomery county kentucky. In 1890 a former slave named nancy green was hired to be the spokesperson for aunt jemima brand food products.
It is currently owned by the quaker oats company of chicago a subsidiary of pepsico. By 1915 it had become one of the most recognized brands in us history and changed us trademark law. The aunt jemima pancake mix debuted in 1889 the first ready mix.
Aunt jemima founders. 1933 anna robinson portrays aunt jemima at the second chicago world s fair she travels the country promoting aunt jemima and is able to make enough money to provide for her children and buy a 22 room house where she rents rooms to boarders.
1933 anna robinson portrays aunt jemima at the second chicago world s fair she travels the country promoting aunt jemima and is able to make enough money to provide for her children and buy a 22 room house where she rents rooms to boarders.