A series of images by Jaime Moore appeared earlier this year, showcasing the artist’s daughter Emma dressed as historic females. Janine Harper and her photographer husband Marc Bushelle were among some of the people who stumbled upon Not Just a Girl after it went viral on the girl-wide-web. The photos inspired the two to create their own series—one that brings to light the historical black women our textbooks tend to forget.
Moore's daughter as Amelia Earhart from Not Just A Girl
Much like Moore, Bushelle photographed his five-year-old daughter Lily dressed in costumes emulating ethnic women such as aviator Bessie Coleman and the world famous model Grace Jones. The resulting images helped little-model Lily understand her place in black history, while proving to their viewers that history isn’t just a white man’s game. Her-story exists too.
Model Grace Jones is well-known for her ground breaking androgyny.
Author Toni Morrison was the first black woman to win a Nobel Prize in literature for her novel Beloved.
Mae Jemison was the first African-American woman to become a NASA astronaut (and go into space).
Admiral Michelle Howard made history as the first female, four-star admiral in the military. She also became the highest ranking black woman in history.
Josephine Baker was an exotic dancer, a French spy during WWII, and one of the most prominent people to speak alongside Martin Luther King Jr. during the March on Washington.
Images c/o Marc Bushelle Photography
