jan 1, 1893 - Aunt Jemima

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The Davis Milling Company demonstrated the convenience of self-rising pancake flour at the 1893 Columbia Exposition in Chicago. The company hired Nancy Green, a black cook, to give the demonstration and play the part of Aunt Jemima. She appealed to the American publics desire to imagine a harmonious relationship between black women and white families. Aunt Jemima allowed consumers to construct a nurturing scenario in which black women committed themselves to care and feed white families. Nancy Green dressed as Aunt Jemima, sang songs, cooked pancakes and told stories about the old south. Through Aunt Jemima the company was able to endorse products such as black rag dolls, cookie jars, creamers, recipe cards, and syrup pitchers. Today’s Aunt Jemima has a more professional appearance and is a household name and icon. Although everyone knowns Aunt Jemima almost no one knowns of Nancy Green, the black women behind the pancakes.

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