Race and Ethnicity in Advertising

Colored Mail Order Corporation of America Records, 1939

Founded by African American journalist and businessman, Chester Arthur Franklin, The Colored Mail Order Corporation of America was a mail order company targeting African American clients. This collection includes promotional posters, clothing catalogues and a 1939 issue of The Weekly Echo newspaper, which includes an article on the company. The collection also contains advertisements for The Colored Mail Order Corporation of America that endorse the creation and continued existence of a postal company specifically servicing the African American population. The detailed clothing catalogues advertise a large variety of men, women, and children’s fashions, from “Sunday’s best” to pajamas, and feature exclusively African American models. The catalogue also includes a blank order form, measurement/size instructions, and a detailed version of the Colored Mail Order Corporation’s mission statement.

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