Madam C. J. Walker T-Shirt

• National Archives Store Exclusive
• 100% cotton
• Machine wash cold, tumble dry low, do not iron on decoration

• Product Description

• An Archives Store exclusive, our T-shirt celebrates the achievements of Madam C. J. Walker. Inspired by elements from her life and work, our Madam Walker items pay homage to her extraordinary accomplishments. Born Sarah Breedlove, she was a daughter of enslaved people, who reimagined her life, and through drive and determination, became the first Black woman millionaire through her line of hair care products.

Born in 1867, Madam C. J. Walker was orphaned at the age of seven, married at 14, and a widow by 20. But everything changed when she developed a revolutionary hair-care formula for black women. By the time she was 40, this daughter of former slaves owned and ran the largest Black-owned company in the United States and was making as much money as a white corporate executive.

She created a workforce of sales agents that gave African American women job options other than being washerwomen or domestics. As her prominence and wealth increased, she became a generous benefactor of black educational institutions and such a staunch supporter of the anti-lynching movement that the State Department labeled her a "race agitator" and denied her a passport in 1919. Her palatial home in New York, Villa Lewaro, is designated as a National Historic Landmark.

The National Archives’ holdings include a variety of documents regarding the remarkable life of Madam C. J. Walker, including census records, ship manifests of her travels, court cases, photographs, and personal letters.