Not Enough Ebony in Ebony: The Activist Studio Portraiture of Kwame Brathwaite

This thesis examines the studio portraits taken by Kwame Brathwaite during the 1960s in relation to the studio portraits featured on the cover of Ebony magazine during the same period. This analysis is composed of four chapters beginning with a survey of scholarly literature. In the two chapters following the survey Brathwaite and Ebony will be discussed individually within their respective political and social contexts. Lastly, a comparative analysis is conducted using a collection of twenty images taken by Brathwaite and thirty covers of Ebony. Utilizing Brathwaite's criticism of Ebony magazine as not having enough ebony women, this comparison seeks to explore the differences and similarities between those images taken by Brathwaite and those published on Ebony's covers. Components of the studio portraits from each source are compared according to photographic choices made by Brathwaite and Ebony including sitter, hairstyle, clothing, background, gaze, composition, and style.