“Madame C.J. Walker…with her niece Anjetta Breedlove, Alice Kelby and Lucy Flint, forewoman and secretary at the Madame C.J. Company.”

Madame C.J. Walker was born 146 years ago today on December 23, 1867. In 1906, Walker and her husband moved from Louisiana to Colorado, where she started making and marketing hair products for African-American women. Walker’s products included the “Wonderful Hair Grower” and the hot comb.  

Walker broke many new grounds during her lifetime. She became the first woman to sell products via mail order; the first woman to have her own beauty school, and the first to have chain of beauty parlors throughout the United States, South America, and the Caribbean. In 1914, Walker’s company grossed more than a million dollars. Not only was she the first African-American millionaire, Walker also became the first self-made female millionaire. For more information on Madame C.J. Walker and her legacy, visit Digital Schomburg.

Photo Credit: NYPL Digital Collection