Vogue Magazine Digital Archives Launched And Every Black Vogue Cover (PHOTOS)

Yesterday Vogue magazine announced the launch of its complete digital archive--every page from every issue since 1892.

That adds up to an astounding 425,000 images, 300,000 ads, 100,000 articles and one enormous price tag. A one year subscription to the site costs a cool $1,575. Wowza! Yet another reason to loath the top one percent (Occupy Vogue, anyone?) Before grabbing a pitchfork, let's do the math. That's less than $1 per issue--offering a silver(ish) lining for true Vogue magazine junkies.

Whether you have deep pockets or plan on maxing out the credit card, you should know that the subscription is only being offered to companies for research and branding purposes through WSGN, a trend forecasting company. Vogue magazine subscribers will get "select" access to the site at some point next year. (For a FREE fashion fix, check out the new Valentino virtual archive)

The chance to pour over vintage issues filled with Gordon Parks photographs, fashion spreads with Iman and the very first musings from Andre Leon Talley is almost too much for us to handle. Clearly a side hustle will need to be put in place to finance this dream (suggestions welcomed).

In the spirit of looking back, we decided to do some archival digging ourselves and attempted to compile every American Vogue issue that has featured a black cover model (minus the mixed group shots). And it all started with Beverly Johnson in 1974. Let us know if we missed any. Enjoy!

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• Beverly Johnson, August 1974

• Beverly Johnson, August 1975

• Peggy Dillard, August 1977

• Peggy Dillard, January 1978

• Shelia Johnson, March 1980

• Beverly Johnson, January 1981

• Shari Belafonte Harper, February 1984

• Shari Belafonte Harper, December 1982

• Shari Belafonte Harper, January 1985

• Shari Belafonte Harper, May 1985

• Shari Belafonte Harper, June 1986

• Louise Vyent, February 1987

• Kara Young, April 1988

• Karen Alexander, January 1989

• Naomi Campbell, September 1989

• Kara Young, October 1989

• Naomi Campbell, June 1993

• Karia Kabukuru, July 1997

• Oprah Winfrey, October 1998

• Halle Berry, December 2002

• Liya Kebede, May 2005

• Jennifer Hudson, March 2007

• Lebron James, April 2008

• Michelle Obama, March 2009

• Beyonce Knowles, April 2009

• Halle Berry, September 2010

• Rihanna, April 2011

• Rihanna, November 2012

Comments

[Tayneshia Jefferson]

02:40 AM on 02/18/2012

Does Tyra Banks know that she has never been on the cover of Vogue????

[fashionchick]

12:46 PM on 02/02/2012

wow there are hardly any. sad that racial diversity is so low on their covers and inside as well. I think there are even fewer asian or native models who have ever graced that cover. the fashion industry still continues in its 'whitewashing'
I hope to be in it long enough to see that end.

[michelleobamaok]

05:32 PM on 02/01/2012

RHIANNA!!! What a hawt girl.

[nikki718]

01:57 PM on 12/12/2011

I don't understand why we as black women look to these magazine for beauty anyway. 99% of the time everything originates from either us or some other culture. They are not original and have never been but yet we buy these magazines for fashion, advice, etc. Come on ladies we have always set the stage for beauty and fashion. African American women are the most copied in the world. But they don't want to admit it. They want to have these magazines as though they were the ones with the original ideas. I think not. I think in 2012 and beyond it is time to change the perception of beauty in this country. What do you think?

[Camille Gray]

11:45 AM on 12/12/2011

To be honest, as a black woman, I encourage all of you all to STOP looking towards fashion magazines and other media for your self-esteem. We should know by now that the diversity is scant and that their idea of beauty is skewed. In the grand scheme of things, it is their loss, not ours, that they see beauty in such a narrow construct. Stop paying attention to it, stop getting mad at it, just ACCEPT it and move on. I don't need Vogue to keep putting black women on the cover to know my worth and my beauty. It's just not going to happen.

[michelleobamaok]

05:33 PM on 02/01/2012

They mistakenly think that since Beyawnce has gone perenially "blonde" that they can now just all lose their minds and pretend that these magazines have something for them.

[Lisa1129]

07:47 PM on 02/01/2012

Well said fanned and faved.

[jrx238]

06:56 PM on 12/10/2011

Loved Liya Kebede's cover

[alicam]

02:58 PM on 12/10/2011

Black woman has to be supermodel, First Lady, pop superstar or media mogul to get on the cover while any ol' white girl can get on anytime. The fashion industry is rampant with racism and yet black celebrities swarm over designer goods. Pathetic.

[mssueme]

11:04 AM on 12/10/2011

I dont support magazines that make no attempt to showcase diversity.Anna Wintour has spent her time at Vogue putting an image of women that is irrelevant and backwards . 22 is a vast improvement on UK Vogue where the editor would sooner recycle Kate Moss 100 times than use a black model on the cover.

[wkingsolomon77]

02:04 PM on 12/10/2011

Send your money to HBCU,s,why waste time worrying about a picture,when we should be buying up the important things in life and we can do it,we will spend over a billion dollars during christmas time on santa claus and his items.

[mr whiteffolks]

06:13 AM on 12/12/2011

Anna Wintaour is a jerk !

[jasperblue]

10:19 AM on 12/10/2011

Why do we need a special version of Vogue? My white friends don't have a white Vogue... and we don't need a black vogue. Vogue is Vogue is Vogue.

[noudidnt]

12:22 PM on 12/10/2011

Vogue is Vogue. I guess you didn't read the article, t00l.

[wkingsolomon77]

01:58 PM on 12/10/2011

Your friends dio not call the shots or make things happen,They are just what you said your friends.We are talking about power here,not the powerless.

[leftymom]

09:55 AM on 12/10/2011

So out of 37 years worth of covers (approximately 444 issues) they have 22 Black covers???? Yeah, we've come a long way! Not!

[mr whiteffolks]

06:15 AM on 12/12/2011

Well truth be told America has you well know has not deemed non White women as beautiful even though they are millions of beautiful women of all races ! Whites in America tend to as they do with everything else "ignore" that fact which is why we need to cater to our own !

[NevaforLeadership]

08:26 AM on 12/10/2011

Liya Kebede and Michelle Obama are my favorites.

[Sunflo]

05:11 AM on 12/10/2011

The Jennifer Hudson cover! Yikes!

[Asmarina]

11:13 PM on 12/10/2011

i know. they could have put Kerry Washington or Taraji Henson or smth...

[whatwasthat]

11:55 PM on 12/09/2011

Gorgeous ladies!!! for some reason i thought Iman would have been one of them, but hey....

[alicam]

03:03 PM on 12/10/2011

You can only have so many black women on your covers. Iman would have made them go over their quota.

[mr whiteffolks]

06:15 AM on 12/12/2011

LOL @ quota !

[SamiSam]

09:52 PM on 12/09/2011

Oh, yippee! Twenty-two covers out of 100 years of publication. How grand! I'm very proud of the black women who have managed to grace the cover (LeBron should not even be there), but this paltry number of covers is an insult to the beauty of women. We're not even going to crunch the number of Asian women on the cover. I've been over American Vogue. Vogue Italia has done more for presenting beautiful black models than the US version ever has.

[PoliticalRockChick]

07:33 AM on 12/10/2011

No asians, no latin, it's sad indeed.

[wkingsolomon77]

01:59 PM on 12/10/2011

Guess what,they will not come together and work together.They are to busy fighting each other,so the so called ruling classes will continue to call the shots.

[NevaforLeadership]

08:31 AM on 12/10/2011

I couldn't agree more.

I have spent masses of time combing fashion magazines for a venture of mine, and I have always been astounded at the minimal representation for women of African and Asian descent. If I were they, I would be outraged.

[wkingsolomon77]

02:01 PM on 12/10/2011

Why waste time when you have a clear understanding of the society you live in,Everyone is not wanted or shall be wanted.Until we call the shots this is how it is going to be.Ownership is the key,everything in america is for sale,buy it up

[michelleobamaok]

05:36 PM on 02/01/2012

"I have spent masses of time combing fashion magazines for a venture of mine, and I have always been astounded at the minimal representa­tion for women of African and Asian descent. If I were they, I would be outraged"------YOU'D BE even more shocked if you combed through Oprah's magazine.

[Wistfulslinking]

09:49 PM on 12/09/2011

Sensationalist spin, of course, it's expensive, it will be purchased by media outlets.