Madame C.J. Walker, Black Entrepreneur

Mrs. C.J. Walker (1867-1919), born on a Louisiana cotton plantation the child of former slaves, invented a hair-care preparation at the age of 37 that made her the wealthiest black woman in America and the Madame C.J. Walker Manufacturing Company one of the country's top black-owned businesses.

Her company's ads were noted for their sensitive and favorable images of a black woman (she herself was the model). Frequently advertisements targeting black consumers either used whites to sell the products, or used images of blacks that many African-American consumers found objectionable, as The Southern Urban Negro as a Consumer makes clear. On the back cover of The Messenger for March 1926 is a full-page ad for Madame C.J. Walker's hair and skin-care products. Ads running in the National Urban League serial Opportunity demonstrate that a Madame C.J. Walker chain of beauty culture schools also existed. The Southern Workman for August 1927 ran an article on black businesswomen that makes mention of Madame Walker.

Toiletry preparations -- products for the hair and skin -- were among the consumer products most commonly purchased by African Americans. (INTRO NOTE African Americans) Madame C.J. Walker's company not only manufactured the preparations, but ran advertisements inviting readers to apply to be a company representative in their local area, in the manner of the Avon lady nowadays, or representatives of the Mary Kay cosmetic company.