Coreen Simpson
Coreen Simpson is a trailblazing photographer, jewelry designer, and cultural historian whose work has shaped the visual vocabulary of Black beauty for more than four decades. Best known for her iconic Black Cameo jewelry line—created in 1990 to celebrate and center the elegance, strength, and agency of Black women—her pieces have been worn by luminaries such as Rosa Parks, Oprah Winfrey, and Debbie Allen, and collected by major institutions including MoMA, the Schomburg Center, and the Bronx Museum.
While The Black Cameo made her a global name, Simpson has been documenting Black life and culture through photography since the 1970s, sustaining her artistic practice through the success of her jewelry business. Her work is now receiving renewed recognition with the release of Coreen Simpson, a landmark monograph in Aperture’s Vision & Justice series, co-edited by Deborah Willis—marking the first time her photography and historical contributions have been published together in book form.
Simpson continues to be a vital voice in celebrating Black artistry, identity, and history.
