Emancipator Hard Pressing Iron by Christine Inc.
Item
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Title
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Emancipator Hard Pressing Iron by Christine Inc.
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Description
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Hair straightening iron stored in original orange and black box. Patented by Christine Moore Howell. Christine Moore Howell (1899 - 1972), married to Dr. E. Gaylord Howell, was an inventor, a public servant, a businesswoman, an educator and the founder of Christine Cosmetics, Inc.
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Pictured is a patented device shown within its case, which is a pressing and straightening hot comb designed circa 1923. Howell’s design was impactful for three important reasons. First, unlike traditional hot combs heated on a stove, her design allowed for safe temperature control, reducing the risk of skin burns and damage to Black women’s hair. Second, she received U.S. Patent (c. 1923) for a "hair-straightening comb" that featured a hollow heated interior to distribute heat evenly. Three, placed within historical context; her invention came during the Golden Age of Black Haircare Entrepreneurship, alongside Madam C.J. Walker and Annie Malone, though Howell is less widely recognized. Even today, the hot comb remains at the intersection of Black hair autonomy and the pressures of Eurocentric beauty standards.
Despite her parents’ hopes that she’d become a nurse or teacher, Christine was always drawn to hair and makeup. With no encouragement, she pursued beauty culture, by attending schools in Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, and New York City. In 1920, she opened her first salon in Princeton, NJ, and proudly served clients from as far as New York. In a 1958 article, Mrs. Howell described beauty culture as “something more than artificial fixing up” (Ringer 1958).
Christine did even more. Under the banner of Christine Cosmetics, Inc., she opened a manufacturing facility dedicated to producing beauty products. In 1935, she was appointed by Governor Harold Hoffman as an inaugural commissioner to the newly established New Jersey State Board of Cosmetology—becoming the first and only Black woman to serve on the board. The board was tasked with setting standards and regulations for the beauty culture industry. Her tenure was longstanding, and she eventually rose to serve as Chair.
Published in 1936, Beauty Culture and Care of the Hair was written by C. M. Howell for Black students pursuing careers in hair care and cosmetology (Howell, 1936). Howell was an active presence on the speaking circuit, giving as many as ten talks per year both locally and across the country. In Washington DC, she conferred with fellow Republican women on concerns of Black female voter participation in congressional and state campaigns (P. Greene 1946). Notably, she spoke at the 1937 Convention of the Agents of the Madame C.J. Walker Manufacturing Company in Indianapolis—the first such gathering since 1928 (Hackett, 1937). That same year, in February, she addressed the Jane Addams Club of the New Jersey College for Women, focusing on the condition of the “New Jersey Negro” and highlighting the achievements, challenges, and daily realities of Black residents in the state (The Omaha Guide, 1937). In March 1953, the Trenton YMCA hosted her talk, “Grooming—Care of Hair and Hands” (The Times, 1953). From documented appearances, it is evident that Howell was a strong advocate for the education and advancement of Black women.
Widowed and with no children, Chrsistine passed away at 73 years old in her home in New Brunswick. She was survived by a brother and two nephews (The Times 1972).
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Christine Cosmetics, Inc. - Advertisment for Beauty Care Products
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Book - Beauty Culture and Care of the Hair, Author: C.M. Howell
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Rights
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This work is not in copyright, but commercial uses of this digital representation are limited. For more information, contact research@princetonhistory.org and see http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-NC/1.0/
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Creator
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Howell, Christine Moore
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Format
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Physical Object
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Spatial Coverage
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Princeton, NJ
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Contributor
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Historical Society of Princeton
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Extent
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1 item
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Identifier
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2008.11
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Date Created
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(c. 1920)
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Subject
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Hairdressing
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Small business--Technological innovations
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Patents
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Combs
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Women-owned business enterprises
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Lecturers
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Educators
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Cosmetics
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Beauty shops
