''Duke'' was a short-lived men's magazine formed by ex-employees of the

Johnson Publishing Company Johnson Publishing Company, Inc. (JPC) was an American publishing company founded in November 1942 by African-American businessman John H. Johnson. It was headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. JPC was privately held and run by Johnson until his de ...

. It is notable as an early attempt at an upscale adult periodical for

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ensl ...

audiences.
It was primarily a black and white publication, although the cover and centerfold were color printed. Like many of its contemporaries, the magazine was heavily inspired by the runaway success of ''

Playboy ''Playboy'' is an American men's Lifestyle magazine, lifestyle and entertainment magazine, formerly in print and currently online. It was founded in Chicago in 1953, by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from H ...

'' magazine, although it featured no outright nudity and remained very tame all around. It was based in Chicago, both Playboy's hometown and a hub for African-American intellectuals of that era. The magazine's

centerfold The centerfold or centrefold of a magazine is the inner pages of the middle sheet, usually containing a portrait, such as a pin-up or a nude. The term can also refer to the model featured in the portrait. In saddle-stitched magazines (as opp ...

models were called Duchess of the Month. The first Duchess was Eleanor Crews, who had earlier appeared as the October girl in the 1957 pin-up calendar included with the New Year issue of '' Jet''. The magazine's publisher and main author was Benjamin Burns, who had previously worked on a men's magazine named '' Modern Man'' and been prosecuted for obscenity on that occasion. While ''Modern Man'' was not an ethnic publication, and Burns was a white Jew, he was well acquainted with the black press, having held high ranking positions at the ''

Chicago Defender ''The Chicago Defender'' is a Chicago-based online African-American newspaper. It was founded in 1905 by Robert S. Abbott and was once considered the "most important" newspaper of its kind. Abbott's newspaper reported and campaigned against Jim ...

'', ''

Ebony Ebony is a dense black/brown hardwood, coming from several species in the genus '' Diospyros'', which also contains the persimmons. Unlike most woods, ebony is dense enough to sink in water. It is finely textured and has a mirror finish when ...

'' and its sister publication ''Jet''. The editor and face of the magazine was journalist and musician Dan Burley, although it has been argued that he was largely a figurehead hired to lend black credibility to the magazine, while Burns (who did not appear on the masthead) was the main man. The magazine lasted just 6 issues. It is unrelated to the later ''Duke'' that was published between 1967 and 1978, and primarily featured Caucasian models.

References

African-American magazines Defunct literary magazines published in the United States Men's magazines published in the United States Magazines established in 1957 {{mens-mag-stub

See also

References