
About this work
This original U.S. one sheet for Mahogany (Paramount, 1975) showcases Bob Peak’s vivid artwork for Berry Gordy’s fashion‑world drama starring Diana Ross, Billy Dee Williams, Anthony Perkins, and Jean‑Pierre Aumont. The design centers Ross as Mahogany in a sweeping, multicolored gown that doubles as a graphic field for the film’s title and promotional copy, visually merging high‑fashion fantasy with the dramatic stakes of the story. Supporting portraits of the key male characters line the right side of the composition, each paired with text summarizing his relationship to Mahogany, while the lower register compresses images of romance, glamour, and danger into a single kinetic scene that reflects the film’s blend of melodrama and aspirational Black success. Printed at the standard theatrical size (27" x 41") and preserved in very fine condition with original folding, the poster carries the graphic language of mid‑1970s studio marketing, Motown’s growing cinematic ambitions, and the era’s evolving visual representation of Black female stardom. Within The Askia Jones Collection, the piece stands as both a film artifact and a work of poster art, marking the intersection of cinema, fashion illustration, and Black cultural iconography in the mainstream American imagination.