A high contrast and brightness fluorescent screen of a color picture tube has a light absorbing layer in the form of fine dots or stripes provided for the inner surface of a panel of the tube on which the phosphor layer is formed, and a light reflection layer provided at an interface between the light absorbing layer and the phosphor layer. To manufacture the fluorescent screen, a photosensitive resin layer coated on an inner surface of the panel is exposed to light through a photomask mounted on outside of the panel to form a pattern. Nonluminous light absorbing substance is applied on the pattern to form the light absorbing layers.