Madam C.J. Walker was an African American entrepreneur, philanthropist, and political and social activist. She is recorded as the first female self-made millionaire in America in the Guinness Book of World Records. Ms. Walker's hair care business was a vast enterprise, Between 1911 and 1919, during the height of her career, Walker and her company employed several thousand women as sales agents for its products. By 1917, the company claimed to have trained nearly 20,000 women. Dressed in a characteristic uniform of white shirts and black skirts and carrying black satchels, they visited houses around the United States and in the Caribbean offering Walker's hair pomade and other products packaged in tin containers carrying her image. Walker understood the power of advertising and brand awareness. Heavy advertising, primarily in African-American newspapers and magazines, in addition to Walker's frequent travels to promote her products, helped make Walker and her products well known in the United States. Walker's remains are interred in Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx, New York City New York City
Inspired by historical events, people, quotes and memorabilia from the suffrage movement, graphic artist Meneese Wall's illustrations are paired with text that give historical context to her distinctive work. To date, Meneese has featured the likes of Susan B. Anthony, Alice Paul, and pro-suffrage journals like The Suffragist and The Woman Voter, bringing yesteryear's heroes into today's marketplace of ideas.
