Treasure
Philly!
Treasure Philly!
ruth harper's
Modeling and
charm school
Right: Sign for Ruth Harper’s Modeling and Charm School, 1427 Erie Avenue. 10/25/2023. Photo: Shannon Garrison.
1427 Erie Avenue
The building at 1427 W Erie Ave is a significant cultural resource due to its association with Ruth DeLoach B. Harper (1927-2006). It was home to Ruth Harper’s Modeling and Charm School (1963-2004) as well as Harper's office when she served in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives (elected 1976, retired 1992). She represented the 196th legislative district in North Philadelphia.
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At her Modeling and Charm School, Harper taught young women and girls to apply make up, practice self-assuredness, walk with poise, and communicate with charm. At the time of her death, Ruth Harper’s Modeling and Charm School was the longest-running Black charm school in Philadelphia.
Left: Trace Gibson, “Ruth Harper: Extending Charm, Talents to Effect Change in Harrisburg,” Philadelphia Tribune, Dec. 12, 1978. Clipping courtesy of the Philadelphia Tribune, Philadelphia PA.
ruth harper
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Harper grew up in Savannah, Georgia. After relocating to Philadelphia, she took courses at the Berean Institute, La Salle University, and nearby Zion Baptist Church's Mini University. She also attended Philadelphia's first Black charm school, the Flamingo Finishing and Modeling School at Broad Street and Girard Avenue.
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As a Democratic State Representative, Harper supported the creation of Temple University's Children's Hospital, pushed for school uniform requirements, helped save the Freedom Theater from state control, and fought for the preservation of community landmarks like the North Philadelphia Amtrak Station. She was also a member of the Logan Assistance Corporation, which worked to secure federal aid for Logan, where 957 homes were sinking in the late 1980s.
Right: Photograph of (left to right) Cecil B. Moore, C. Delores Tucker, and Ruth Harper. 1960s. Photo: John W. Mosley. Courtesy of the Special Collections Research Center. Temple University Libraries. Philadelphia PA.
© 2024 Philadelphia Historical Commission | 1515 Arch Street, 13th Floor | preservation@phila.gov
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