History and Background

Madam C.J. Walker, who was born Sara Breedlove, was born to croppers near Delta, Louisiana on December 23, 1867  (Madam C.J. Walker: The Official Website, 2008). She worked as an uneducated farm laborer and laundress until she moved to St. Louis and then Denver to showcase her invention. She married her first husband at the age of 14, and two years later had her daughter Leila who later became known as A’Leila (Bundles, 2001). Her first husband died two years after and as a single mom making about $1.50 a day, she earned barely enough to help support her and her daughter’s education (Madam C.J. Walker: The Official Website, 2008). Soon later, her life changed from making daily wages to becoming one of the most successful African American female entrepreneurs.

Madam C.J. Walker learned to live life without letting racial segregation and the stereotypical vision of a woman stand in her way.  She became a self-made entrepreneur in the world of cosmetology by inventing products to help the condition of African American women’s hair such first invention and famously known ”Wonderful Hair Grower,” a hair product with the intention to condition the scalp to promote healthy hair growth (Madam C.J. Walker: The Official Website, 2008). To clear any misconceptions, Madam C.J. Walker did not invent the hair straightener like some sources suggest (Bundles, A., 2001). 

With the mindset of developing beauty products, Breedlove moved to Denver, Colorado in 1905 with $1.50 in savings. In Denver, she met her future husband, Charles Joseph Walker, who was first a friend and newspaper sales agent from St. Louis (Bundles, A., 2001). They married on January 4, 1906 in Denver and this is how Madam picked up the name “C.J. Walker” Uncovering an Indiana Treasure…Madam C.J. Walker , 2008).

By this time Madam C.J. Walker, had created the “Wonderful Hair Grower” and her and her husband began selling it door-to-door with great success. Soon later, Walker opened a factory for cosmetology including a hair and manicure salon and a training school in Pittsburgh (Madam C.J. Walker: The Official Website, 2008). After the hit success of the Wonderful Hair Grower, vegetable shampoo was added, as well as a scalp formula and manicure products (Bundles, A., 2001).

Madam would move several times with the focus of finding the best locations to start and proceed her hair product business. After Denver, she moved to Pittsburgh in 1908 and along with her daughter A’Leila and her husband.  This is where she estabilisted a beauty parlor and training school for “Walker Agents” who were African American women that worked for Walker as trained beauty agents that aided in marketing products door-to-door (Uncovering an Indiana Treasure…Madam C.J. Walker, 2008). Walker agents were trained on how to give black women fashionable hairdos using a variety of tools such as pomades, hot combs, and curlers using Walker’s products. Madam C.J. Walker had turned her invention into a successful company. Her company also gave thousands of African American women jobs other than field work. Walker was on her way to becoming American’s first African American female millionaire. In 1909, her first college was opened, “Leila College” in Pittsburgh (Jerry Jazz Musician, 2004). By 1911, Madam C.J. Walker had moved to Indianapolis with the Walker Company, which had boasted a sale force of 950 women (Vare & Ptacek, 2001). By 1918 the Walker Company had fielded 3,000 Walker Agents from around the country and the company was a multimillion dollar business in which Walker was the sole stockholder and president for life (Vare & Ptacek, 2001).

In 1917, Walker hosted the first Annual Walker Beauty Culturists Convention in Philidelphia. In 1919, after over a decade of successful business and inspiration to African American women’s beauty, Madam C.J. Walker died on May 25, 1919 in Villa Lewaro where she lived until the age of 51 (Bundles, A., 2001).