Cover of The Crisis Vol. 14 No. 5, September, 1917

The Crisis: A Record of the Darker Races was a monthly publication from the NAACP founded and edited by W. E. B. Du Bois in 1910. The magazine quickly became popular for its uplifting nature, coverage of various themes, and for highlighting the achievements of individual black people and the whole community. 

This particular issue features an illustration by Frank Walts of Blanche Deas, a young woman who acted for the Negro Players theatre group. Pictures and illustrations of women like Deas were often on the covers because they were seen as “advocates for racial uplift, through their beauty, their intelligence, or talent”.

https://nmaahc.si.edu/explore/stories/the-crisis