Though the Johnson Publishing Company may not sound like a well-known name, you will surely recognize some of the products it publishes. The history of magazine publishing and cosmetics has been greatly affected by the Johnson family. Here is a brief history of this pioneering company.
Identification
Johnson Publishing Company is a multi-brand company. This company is owned and run by the African-American Johnson family, and focuses on African-Americans.
History
John H. Johnson founded the company in 1942. The first magazine, "Negro Digest," was published in 1942 and ran until 1975, finishing under the title of "Black World"; the second big magazine, "Ebony," was born in 1945. "Jet," their third big magazine, launched in 1951. In 1985, "Ebony Man" launched in competition to "GQ," and Linda Johnson Rice took over from her father to run the company.
Famous Ties
When he was nine years old, bishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa remembered seeing a cover of "Ebony" that featured Jackie Robinson.
Significance
The Johnson Publishing Company is the largest African-American publisher in the world. For most of the 1940s to the 1970s, the magazines published by Johnson were the only magazines for African-Americans. The Ebony Fashion Fair, started by Johnson in 1957, is one of the oldest continuing fashion industry shows currently running.
Fun Fact
In the 1940s, John H. Johnson started the Beauty Star mail-order business to sell products through his magazines to raise money. And to bring in large advertisers, Johnson Publishing sent a salesman to Detroit every week for almost 10 years before signing the Chrysler Corporation as an advertiser.
