Feature: 27 Jul 2018

#FFFind: The picture of woman with afro in The Shining

We’ve had several requests to investigate the story behind the pictures of captivating black women with afros in Kubrick’s The Shining. These pictures hang in Dick Hallorann’s (Scatman Corothers) Florida apartment: One above the TV and the other behind his bed.

the-shining-woman-with-afro-dick-halloran

Overlookhotel.com (all praise be to them) have identified one of these pieces. The picture which sits symmetrically between two table lamps and directly above the TV of the naked woman with afro and an unusual necklace is a photo taken of model Azizi Johari in the early 1970s. This photograph was originally taken for a calendar which never came to light but this image was later sold as a general release poster entitled “Supernatural Dream”.

supernatural dream black woman with afro poster art in The Shining — Supernatural Dream poster art featuring model Azizi Johari

The art poster ‘Supernatural Dream’ was published by The Old School Inc. around 1973 and is printed in offset litho at a size of 86.04cm x 60.48cm. The poster was distributed by Synergisms of San Francisco, CA.

Johari was Playboy magazine’s Playmate of the Month in June 1975. She is also featured on an album cover by Leon Ware entitled Musical Massage (1976) where she appears naked and reclining with her head and knees on the floor.

She also appears on an album cover by Sun called Live On, Dream On (1976).

Album cover for Live On, Dream On by Sun

Halloran on his bed in The Shining — Halloran on his bed in *The Shining*

Interestingly, the Korova bar entrance in A Clockwork Orange which is covered with posters, also has an image of a black woman with large afro which is similar to that in The Shining.