African American Cosmetic and Food Label Collection
name: label: Creator
content: Wright, Helena, 1946-
label: Names
content: Famous Products Co.
label: Names
content: Lucky Man Co.
label: Names
content: Madam Jones Co.
label: Names
content: Val-Mor Co.
topic: label: Topic
content: African American business enterprises -- 1930-1960
label: Topic
content: Cosmetics industry
label: Topic
content: Packaging
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: Collection was donated to the Archives Center by National Museum of American History (NMAH) curator Helena Wright, November 23, 1993.
creator: label: Creator
content: Wright, Helena, 1946-
setName: label: See more items in
content: African American Cosmetic and Food Label Collection
abstract: label: Summary
content: Collection consists of labels, created by Chicago business Valmor Products Company, for packaging intended to appeal to the African American consumer market dating from 1934-1946.
bioghist: label: Biographical / Historical
content: The Valmor Company was established in 1926 on the South side of Chicago.  It was owned and operated by Morton Gross Neumann (1898-1985) and Rose Fogelson Neumann (1902-1998).  The company catered to an African American consumer market and employed local black residents as warehouse workers and salesmen.  It created advertisements and product packaging using the talents and skills of African American artists Charles Clarence Dawson (June 12, 1889 - March 1, 1981) and Jay Paul Jackson (September 10, 1905 - May 16, 1954). Products were sold under the Valmor name and its subsidiary companies: Lucky Brown, Madam Jones, King Novelty, and Famous Products Company. The company was purchased by New York's R. H. Cosmetic Corporation after the death of Morton G. Neumann in 1985.
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 0.12 Cubic feet (1 box)
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1934-1946, undated
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives Center, National Museum of American History
identifier: label: Identifier
content: NMAH.AC.0480
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Labels
arrangement: label: Arrangement
content: Collection is arranged in one series.
processinfo: label: Processing Information
content: Collection processed by Vanessa Broussard-Simmons, archivist, 1998
genre_format: label: Genre/Form
content: Labels
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: Collection consists of fifty-three product labels created by Chicago area business Valmor Products Company and its subsidiaries: Madam Jones and Famous Products Company.  The labels do not appear to have been used on product packaging. Personal care products were for both men and women and include cold cream, perfume, bleaching cream, talcum powder, toilet water, shaving cream, deodorant, hand cream, hot comb oil, hair dressing, and mouth wash.  Common brand names on the product labels are Sweet Georgia Brown, Lucky Brown, Lucky Mojo, Lucky Man, Madam Jones, and Happy Go Lucky. Some of the products are specific to the African American community with mainstream products meant to appeal to this sector of American society. In many cases the company name, brand name, and copyright date appear on the labels. Materials are arranged in alphabetical order by the company name.  If the company name does not appear on the label the brand name of the product was used.
relatedmaterial: label: Related Materials
content: Archives Center, National Museum of American History


Warshaw Collection of Business Americana, NMAH.AC0060


Nathaniel Mathis Collection of Barbering and Beauty Culture NMAH.AC0641


Cover Girl Advertising Oral History & Documentation Project NMAH.AC0374


Carolyn Jones Papers NMAH.AC0552

Other Repositories


Valmor Products Label Collection, Special Collections, Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center 


Graphic Arts Collection, Special Collections, Firestone Library, Princeton University


Made-in-Chicago Museum