Questionnaire for the Magazine Ebony
Item
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Title
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Questionnaire for the Magazine Ebony
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Description
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This questionnaire entitled “QUESTIONNAIRE FOR THE MAGAZINE EBONY----November 6, 1948” is five pages long with responses to 38 questions. The responses are by Christine Moore Howell (March 19, 1898-December 13, 1972) of Princeton, New Jersey.
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At the time of these responses, she was 48 years old (page 3 of 5). It was said that “Howell provided glamour and was glamorous herself” (Smith 2015, p. 77). As indicated in response #23, Howell was born in Princeton, attended Princeton High School where she was one of the first African-Americans to graduate, pursued higher education in France studying chemistry in 1932 and 1933, and then returned to Princeton until moving to New Brunswick, NJ later in life (pages 2 and 3 of 5; Smith 2015, p. 77). Her father William Powell Moore (April 1863 or 1867-1920) owned 4, 6, and 10 Spring Street in Princeton (Satterfield, S., and Historical Society of Princeton, n.d.). From 1921-1940, she operated Christine Vanity Parlors (as the sign in the building window read) or Christine’s Beauty Salon. In 1935, she founded Christine Cosmetics, Inc. (page 2 of 5). The cosmetic business was co-operated with Mr. Louis DuBois of New Brunswick in New Brunswick, though eventually moved to Princeton in her beauty parlor (page 2 of 5). As indicated in response #20, all items ingredients are of her creations (page 2 of 5). She sold powder base and face powder for all skin tones, various other facial and makeup products, and hair products (Satterfield, S., and Historical Society of Princeton, n.d.). The questionnaire details her career and business in beauty, as well as her passions, perspectives, life in Princeton, clientele, and personal life.
Her husband Dr. Edward Gaylord Howell (December 6, 1898-November 22, 1971) was a popular physician in New Brunswick for 45 years (The Home News 1972). She spent 48 years of her life in Princeton before moving north to this city (The Home News 1972).
Howell had a community-oriented and impactful career of firsts. She was a member of the NAACP, the Service Council which became the Urban League in 1946 (as indicated in response #27), the Social Committee of the New Brunswick Urban League, a Trustee with the Princeton Group Art, Inc., the Director of the Middlesex County Tuberculosis and Health League, the Central Jersey Links, Mu Boule Sorority which is part of Alpha Kappa Alpha, and the Ebenezer Baptist Church of New Brunswick– established in 1873 making it the third oldest Black-established Baptist church in NJ (page 3 of 5; The Home News 1972; Ebenezer Baptist Church, n.d.). From 1935-1939, Howell was a NJ State Commissioner on the Board of Beauty Culture Control for four consecutive terms, and the chairman for three under both democratic and republic terms (page 4 of 5; The Home News 1972). Howell was the first African-American to hold the former position (Historical Society of Princeton at Updike Farmstead 2020). She stated in response #29 that her popular textbook “Beauty Culture and Care of the Hair,” published in 1939, influenced this appointment (page 4 of 5).
These questionnaire responses were likely to be featured in Ebony magazine. In November 1945, the magazine released its first issue to the public, covering African American culture, politics, and life (National Museum of African American History & Culture, n.d.). Maya Angelou said of the magazine: “Then Ebony arrived in 1945… to inform us and assure us that our lives were so important, they could never be edited out of the history of our people” (National Museum of African American History & Culture, n.d.). The magazine was published until May 2019, and was the Johnson Publishing Company’s leading publication all the while (National Museum of African American History & Culture, n.d.).
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Christine Moore Howell's Beauty Salon Then and Now, Pamphlet, and Photos
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Contributor
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Historical Society of Princeton
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Date Created
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1948
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Creator
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Howell, Christine Moore
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Rights
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Rights assessment is your responsibility. This material is made available for noncommercial educational, scholarly, and/or charitable purposes. For other uses or for more information, please contact research@princetonhistory.org.
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Identifier
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MS 899
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Language
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eng
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Format
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Text
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Extent
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6 pages
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Spatial Coverage
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Princeton, NJ
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Subject
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Beauty culture
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Hairdressing
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African American women.
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Hairstyling
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Princeton, New Jersey.
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New Brunswick, New Jersey.
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Women entrepreneurs
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Cosmetology
Ebony Questionnaire