Jimi Hendrix plays guitar with his teeth. (G. Marshall Wilson/Ebony Collection/Johnson Publishing Company)
More than 4 million photos from the archives of Ebony and Jet magazines, once pinnacles of black American culture, are up for auction.
Their former parent company, Johnson Publishing, filed for bankruptcy in April.
The archive contains photos from 1945 to 2015, with about 1 million printed images, 3 million negatives and contact sheets, and several thousand hours of video footage.
Some photos have never been printed and thus have never been seen by the public. Very few have been digitized. In total, the archive is worth around $47 million.
Isaac Hayes performs at a show in 1972. (Norman L. Hunter/Ebony Collection/Johnson Publishing Company)
Author James Baldwin leaves his home. (G. Marshall Wilson/Ebony Collection/Johnson Publishing Company)
Actor Raymond St. Jacques — pictured in 1969 — was the star of several blaxploitation films. (Charles Sanders/Ebony Collection/Johnson Publishing Company)
Dancers Carmen De Lavallade and James Truitt perform on stage. (Howard Morehead/Ebony Collection/Johnson Publishing Company)
Geoffrey Holder reflects near a window. He was a multitalented performer who easily shifted between painting, theater, film and TV. (G. Marshall Wilson/Ebony Collection/Johnson Publishing Company)
Trumpeter Clark Terry walks with his son Rudolph under the Apollo Theater marquee after Terry's first stage show with Duke Ellington's band in 1955. (G. Marshall Wilson/Ebony Collection/Johnson Publishing Company)
Clark Terry, right, plays the trumpet with his son Rudolph, center, and Duke Ellington in 1955. (G. Marshall Wilson/Ebony Collection/Johnson Publishing Company)
Frank Robinson takes a few swings during batting practice. He wore two hats as player-manager for the Cleveland Indians and was the first African American to manage a team in the major league. (Theodore Williams/Ebony Collection/Johnson Publishing Company)
Aretha Franklin receives valuable music advice from her father, the Rev. C.L. Franklin. (Isaac Sutton/Ebony Collection/Johnson Publishing Company)
Singer, dancer and actress Lena Horne holds her Siamese kitten, Anna. (Isaac Sutton/Ebony Collection/Johnson Publishing Company)
Roosevelt Zanders poses in 1956 with his fleet of limousines in New York. (Bertrand Miles/Ebony Collection/Johnson Publishing Company)
Blues singer Della Reese is eased into her snug-fitting gown by her dresser during a 1957 engagement at Robert's Show Lounge in Chicago. (William Lanier/Ebony Collection/Johnson Publishing Company)
Charles Sifford acknowledges the gallery's applause after winning the 1969 Los Angeles Open and $20,000 in prize money. (Leroy Patton/Ebony Collection/Johnson Publishing Company)
Carmen De Lavallade performs in 1968. (Maurice Sorrell/Ebony Collection/Johnson Publishing Company)
Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis stand outside of a theater in 1959. The husband and wife often shared the screen. (Theodore Williams/Ebony Collection/Johnson Publishing Company)
Produced by Brett Roegiers, Leah Asmelash and Brian Ries