Ethel Ernistine Harper
Encyclopedia
Ethel Ernestine Harper (1903 - 1979) was an American
performer. She is best-known for her portrayal of the Aunt Jemima
advertising character during the 1950s. She was also the final "living person" basis for the official Aunt Jemima image most commonly seen in print and on billboards before it was changed to a composite in the 1960s. She worked as a traveling "Aunt Jemima" on behalf of the Quaker Oats Company
, giving presentations at schools, churches and other organizations.
Harper graduated from college when she was seventeen years old. She worked as a teacher. She also sang with the Three Ginger Snaps, and she appeared in the 1939 film The Hot Mikado
with Bill "Bojangles" Robinson
. She took the role of Aunt Jemima during the 1940s.
Harper died of a heart attack
in 1979.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
performer. She is best-known for her portrayal of the Aunt Jemima
Aunt Jemima
Aunt Jemima is a trademark for pancake flour, syrup, and other breakfast foods currently owned by the Quaker Oats Company of Chicago. The trademark dates to 1893, although Aunt Jemima pancake mix debuted in 1889. The Quaker Oats Company first registered the Aunt Jemima trademark in April 1937...
advertising character during the 1950s. She was also the final "living person" basis for the official Aunt Jemima image most commonly seen in print and on billboards before it was changed to a composite in the 1960s. She worked as a traveling "Aunt Jemima" on behalf of the Quaker Oats Company
Quaker Oats Company
The Quaker Oats Company is an American food conglomerate based in Chicago. It has been owned by Pepsico since 2001.-History:Quaker Oats was founded in 1901 by the merger of four oat mills:...
, giving presentations at schools, churches and other organizations.
Harper graduated from college when she was seventeen years old. She worked as a teacher. She also sang with the Three Ginger Snaps, and she appeared in the 1939 film The Hot Mikado
The Hot Mikado (1939 production)
The Hot Mikado was a 1939 musical theatre adaptation of Gilbert and Sullivan's The Mikado with an African-American cast. Mike Todd originally produced it after the Federal Theatre Project turned down his offer to manage the WPA production of The Swing Mikado .The Hot Mikado was jazzier than The...
with Bill "Bojangles" Robinson
Bill Robinson
Bill “Bojangles” Robinson was an American tap dancer and actor of stage and film. Audiences enjoyed his understated style, which eschewed the frenetic manner of the jitterbug in favor of cool and reserve; rarely did he use his upper body, relying instead on busy, inventive feet, and an expressive...
. She took the role of Aunt Jemima during the 1940s.
Harper died of a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
in 1979.