Madam C.J. Walker, born Sarah Breedlove in Delta, Louisiana, in 1867, built a hair care and beauty company for Black women in the early 1900s. From an Indianapolis base, she sold her products largely through personal sales agents, training several thousand Black women who found financial independence through her business.
Key Takeaways
- Sarah Breedlove was born on December 23, 1867, in Delta, Louisiana, the first child in her family born into freedom after the Emancipation Proclamation.
- She took the name Madam C.J. Walker after marrying Charles Joseph Walker in 1906.
- In 1910 she moved her business to Indianapolis, setting up a laboratory and beauty school, and she incorporated her company in 1911.
- By the time of her death, the company employed several thousand agents and had brought in more than half a million dollars in sales.
- She died on May 25, 1919, at Villa Lewaro, her estate in Irvington-on-Hudson, New York.
- Her daughter, A’Lelia Walker, became president of the company and a patron of the Harlem Renaissance.
Who Was Madam C.J. Walker Before the Business
Madam C.J. Walker’s early life offered few signs of what she would build. Born Sarah Breedlove on December 23, 1867, to Owen and Minerva Anderson Breedlove, she was the first child in her family born into freedom after the Emancipation Proclamation. She lost both parents by age seven, married at fourteen, gave birth to her only child at seventeen and was widowed at twenty.
As a young widow, she supported her daughter, Lelia, through hard physical labor. Those years shaped both her drive and the message she later carried to other Black women: that skilled, independent work could replace the low-paid labor that defined so many of their lives.
How Madam C.J. Walker Built Her Hair Care Business
In 1906, Sarah Breedlove married Charles Joseph Walker and began marketing herself and her products under the name Madam C.J. Walker. Her signature product, Madam C.J. Walker’s Wonderful Hair Grower, found early success, and she moved her operations as the business grew, first to Pittsburgh in 1908, where she opened the Lelia College of Beauty Culture, named for her daughter.
In 1910, Walker settled in Indianapolis, where she set up a laboratory and a beauty school and established the Madam C.J. Walker Manufacturing Company. She incorporated the company in September 1911, with Indianapolis remaining its hub even after she moved to New York.
The Walker Agents Were the Engine of the Company
Walker’s business model is what set it apart. Sales were made largely through personal agents rather than stores, with only a few wholesale distributors in large cities. Each agent was trained in the Walker method, which turned the sales force into a network of skilled beauty professionals.
In 1916, Walker began organizing her agents into state and local chapters, and in 1917 she hosted the first national convention of Walker “beauty culturists.” The convention honored agents who sold the most products and chapters that raised money for charitable and social causes, rewarding community giving alongside sales.
For Walker, the purpose was economic independence. Her business gave women a way, in her words, to “abandon the wash-tub for more pleasant and profitable occupation.”
Madam C.J. Walker’s Wealth, Philanthropy and Later Years
Walker’s annual sales grew between 1911 and her death, and by the end of her life the company had brought in more than half a million dollars in sales through several thousand agents. Records held by the Indiana Historical Society note that she was repeatedly described as a millionaire in her final years.
As her wealth grew, Walker gave increasing amounts to African American causes. Around 1916, she began living in New York, first at a Harlem townhouse, and in 1918 she moved into Villa Lewaro, a mansion in Irvington-on-Hudson designed by the Black architect Vertner Tandy. She died there on May 25, 1919, at age 51.
Madam C.J. Walker’s Daughter Carried the Legacy Forward
After Walker’s death, her daughter, A’Lelia Walker, became president of the company. She also became a patron of the Harlem Renaissance, hosting a cultural salon known as the Dark Tower at her Harlem townhouse during the 1920s. A’Lelia Walker died in 1931.
The family’s legacy remains visible in its buildings. The Madam Walker Legacy Center, built in 1927 as the Walker Theatre on property Walker purchased in downtown Indianapolis, stands as a tribute to her. Villa Lewaro is a national historic landmark and has been named a national treasure by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
FAQs
Who is Madam C.J. Walker?
Madam C.J. Walker, born Sarah Breedlove in 1867, was a businesswoman who built a hair care and beauty company for Black women. Her company, based in Indianapolis, sold its products through several thousand trained sales agents.
Who was Madam C.J. Walker’s daughter?
Her daughter was A’Lelia Walker, born in 1885. After her mother’s death in 1919, she became president of the company and a patron of the Harlem Renaissance, and she died in 1931.
When did Madam C.J. Walker die?
Madam C.J. Walker died on May 25, 1919, at age 51. She died at Villa Lewaro, her estate in Irvington-on-Hudson, New York.
What is the Madam Walker Legacy Center?
The Madam Walker Legacy Center is a building in downtown Indianapolis, built in 1927 as the Walker Theatre. It stands on property Walker purchased and serves as a tribute to her legacy.
What did Madam C.J. Walker say about her business?
Walker described her business as a way for women to “abandon the wash-tub for more pleasant and profitable occupation.” She also said of her Indianapolis operation, “I have built my own factory on my own ground.”
