January 10

Madame E. Toussaint Welcome was a prominent African American cultural figure in the early 20th century who made significant contributions to American art, historical preservation, and cultural advocacy. She is one of a very small number of African American women filmmakers from the silent film era — having made films during the early 1900s.

Jennie Louise Touissant Welcome was born Jennie Louise Van Der Zee on January 10, 1885 in Lenox, MA. Though much about her early life remains undocumented, she emerged as a dedicated writer, lecturer, and curator at a time when the voices and achievements of Black Americans were often erased from mainstream narratives.

Her life’s work centered on elevating African American heritage, particularly through the arts and public history. She became best known for her role in collecting, preserving, and sharing the stories of African Americans whose legacies had been marginalized.

As the founder of the Toussaint Conservatory of Art and Music in Chicago, she provided a vital space for Black artists, musicians, and intellectuals to study and present their work. The conservatory offered formal education in music and art, disciplines that were often inaccessible to African Americans due to segregation and institutional racism.

By establishing this center of learning, Madame Toussaint empowered a generation of artists to cultivate their talents and share them with broader audiences. Her work helped nurture a growing sense of pride and cultural identity in Black communities during the Harlem Renaissance and beyond.

Madame Toussaint also played an important role in early African American film and visual storytelling. While not a filmmaker in the traditional sense, she used photographic exhibits and curated installations to depict African American life with dignity and pride.

Toussaint traveled extensively, delivering lectures and showcasing visual materials that highlighted the historical and cultural achievements of Black people in America and the African diaspora. Her traveling exhibits challenged the stereotypical imagery often promoted in popular media and offered counter-narratives rooted in truth, history, and cultural affirmation.

Through her scholarship and advocacy, Madame Toussaint sought to reshape public understanding of Black history and culture. She was an early proponent of recognizing African American contributions to U.S. history long before such acknowledgment became widespread.

Her public exhibits frequently included portraits, artifacts, and original research that revealed a deeper, richer story of Black resilience and creativity. In doing so, she laid a foundation for future Black historians, curators, and cultural institutions who would continue her mission of historical recovery and representation.

Though not as widely remembered today as some of her contemporaries, Madame E. Toussaint remains an important figure in the history of American cultural development. Her commitment to the arts, education, and historical truth offered a powerful counterforce to the forces of erasure and exclusion that shaped early 20th-century America.

Madame E. Toussaint used her platform to celebrate Black excellence in all its forms, leaving a legacy that endures in the institutions and narratives she helped bring to life.