An NYHistory Store exclusive, we are delighted to offer this Madame C.J. Walker Paperweight in celebration of the achievements of Madam Walker. Inspired by the vegetable shampoo tin and packaging in the museum's collection, our design pays homage to the extraordinary accomplishments of Madam Walker.
Entrepreneur Madam C.J. Walker (1867–1919) founded the Madam C.J. Walker Manufacturing Company in Denver in 1906. Born Sarah Breedlove to formerly enslaved parents in Louisiana, she was a pioneer in the Black hair-care and cosmetics industry, an activist, a leading philanthropist in the African American community, and the first female self-made millionaire in America. Following her daughter, A’Lelia Walker, who moved to New York City in 1913, Madam Walker settled in Harlem in 1916, where she became heavily involved in the social and political life of Harlem.
