Hubbry Logo
Marjorie JoynerMarjorie JoynerMain
Open search
Marjorie Joyner
Community hub
Marjorie Joyner
logo
25 pages, 0 posts
0 subscribers
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Marjorie Joyner
Marjorie Joyner
Marjorie Joyner
View on Wikipedia
from Wikipedia

Marjorie Joyner (née Stewart; October 24, 1896 – December 27, 1994) was an American businesswoman, hair care entrepreneur, philanthropist, educator, and activist. Joyner is noted for being the first African-American woman to create and patent a permanent hair-wave machine.[2] In addition to her career in hair care, Joyner was highly visible in the African-American community in Chicago, once serving as head of the Chicago Defender Charity network, helping organize the Bud Billiken Day Parade and fundraiser for various schools.[1][3]

Key Information

Biography

[edit]

Early life and education

[edit]

Born in 1896 in Monterey, Virginia, Joyner was the daughter of George Emmanuel Stewart, a teacher and Annie Stewart (née Daugherty).[1] Joyner was the granddaughter of a slave and a white slave-owner. Joyner's family relocated to Dayton, Ohio in 1904 and her parents divorced three years later. After the divorce of her parents, Joyner lived with various relatives between Ohio and Virginia.[1] In 1912, aged 16, Joyner relocated to Chicago, Illinois to live with her mother. After arriving to Chicago, Joyner received a certificate for dramatic art and expression from Chicago Musical College in 1914.[1] Joyner began studying cosmetology, graduating A.B. Moler Beauty School in 1916, becoming the first African American to graduate from the school.[2] Joyner later received her high school diploma in 1939.[3] In 1973, at the age of 77, Joyner was awarded a bachelor's degree in psychology from Bethune-Cookman College.

Patent image of permanent wave machine invented in by Joyner, 1928.

Career

[edit]
2nd sheet of patent image of permanent wave machine, 1928.

Shortly after graduating from beauty school, Joyner opened her salon.[4] Joyner later met Madam C. J. Walker, an African American beauty entrepreneur, and the owner of a cosmetic empire. Joyner worked for Walker as a sales representative. In 1920, Joyner oversaw 200 of Madam Walker's beauty schools as the national adviser. Joyner taught some 15,000 stylists and served as an instructor to coaching Walker's sales representatives door-to-door.[2][1] After her time with Walker beauty schools, Joyner served as a leader in developing new products, such as her permanent wave machine. Joyner helped write the first cosmetology laws for the state of Illinois in the early 1940s. On October 27, 1945, Joyner, along with renowned educator, Mary McLeod Bethune and U.S. congressman William Dawson, founded a sorority and fraternity dedicated to the advancement and promotion of the beauty industry, Alpha Chi Pi Omega. In 1945, Joyner along with Mary McLeod Bethune founded the United Beauty School Owners and Teachers Association, a national association for African-American beauticians.[2] In the 1940s, Joyner was an advisor to the Democratic National Committee and advised several New Deal agencies trying to reach out to African-American women.

Permanent wave design

[edit]

In 1919, Joyner started looking for an easier way for women to curl their hair, taking her inspiration from a pot roast cooking with paper pins to quicken preparation time. Joyner experimented initially with these paper rods and soon designed a table that could be used to curl or straighten hair by wrapping hair. This method allowed hairstyles to last several days. At the beginning of her invention, there were complaints from people that it was uncomfortable.

That was when Joyner improved it with the simple idea of having a scalp protector while the lady is curling her hair.[5] Her patent for this design, (U.S. pat. #1,693,515) established her as the first African American woman to receive a patent. This claim is disputed by some who say that Sarah E. Goode was the first African American woman to hold a patent. It is sometimes falsely cited that Joyner was the original inventor of this type of the machine, called the permanent wave, or perm. Joyner's design was an alternative version of Karl Nessler's groundbreaking invention, invented in England during the late 19th century and patented in London in 1909 and again in the United States in 1925. (U.S. patent 1,522,258) Joyner's design was popular in salons with both African American and white women. The patent was credited to Walker's company and she received almost no money for it.

Personal life and death

[edit]

Joyner was married once and had two children. On April 4, 1916, aged 19, she married podiatrist Robert E. Joyner. They remained married until his death in 1973. Together, they had two daughters, Anne and Barbara Joyner.[1] Joyner died on December 27, 1994, of heart failure at her home in the Bronzeville neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois, aged 98.[2]

Legacy

[edit]

In 1987, the Smithsonian Institution in Washington opened an exhibit featuring Joyner's permanent wave machine and a replica of her original salon.[6] On October 24, 1990, Joyner's 95th birthday, she was honored by the city of Chicago, proclaiming her birthday Marjorie Stewart Joyner Day within the city.[3] Currently, her papers reside in the Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of African-American History and Literature at the Chicago Public Library.

Further reading

[edit]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Marjorie Joyner

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
Marjorie Stewart Joyner (October 24, 1896 – December 27, 1994) was an American inventor, cosmetologist, and business executive renowned for developing the permanent wave machine, a device that revolutionized hair styling by enabling efficient curling of hair without repetitive manual processes. Born in the of , Joyner relocated to as a child following her parents' divorce and began her career in beauty at age 16 by enrolling in the A.B. Molar Beauty School, from which she graduated as one of the first African American students. By 1916, she had opened her own salon on Chicago's South State Street, and soon after joined the Madame C.J. Walker Company, where she advanced to supervise training programs for thousands of beauticians across the . In 1928, Joyner received U.S. Patent No. 1,693,515 for her permanent waving machine, which used clamps and heating rods attached to a dome-like hood to apply heat evenly to sections of hair, significantly reducing the time and labor required for permanent waves compared to earlier curl-by-curl methods. She followed this with a 1929 patent for a scalp protector to enhance comfort during the process, demonstrating her focus on practical improvements in cosmetology tools. As a vice president and national supervisor at the Walker Company, Joyner not only standardized beauty education but also co-founded the United Beauty School Owners and Teachers Association in 1945 to advocate for professional standards in the industry. Her innovations and leadership left a lasting impact on the African American beauty sector, emphasizing efficiency and accessibility in hair care.

Early Life and Education

Childhood and Family Background

Marjorie Stewart Joyner was born on October 24, 1896, near , in the , where the nearest town required a nine-mile walk over mountainous terrain. She was the daughter of George Emmanuel Stewart, a schoolteacher, and Annie Daugherty Stewart; only four of their thirteen children survived infancy amid conditions of . As the granddaughter of enslaved individuals, Joyner's early environment reflected the economic constraints typical of post-emancipation Black families in isolated Appalachian communities, fostering resourcefulness through limited formal structures and reliance on familial support. In 1904, at age eight, Joyner's family relocated to , as part of the early waves of the Great Migration seeking better prospects, where her father secured a teaching position in a serving white students. The move exposed her to urban-industrial shifts but was soon disrupted by her parents' divorce in 1907, after which she resided with various relatives, navigating instability that underscored the value of personal adaptability over external dependencies. These formative experiences in hardship cultivated an entrepreneurial mindset, as Joyner later reflected on how familial economic pressures propelled her toward self-sustaining skills amid scarce opportunities for in early 20th-century America.

Formal Training in Cosmetology

At age 16, Marjorie Stewart Joyner relocated from to in 1912, seeking opportunities in the burgeoning beauty industry amid economic hardship in her rural upbringing. She promptly enrolled in the A.B. Moler Beauty School, one of the few institutions at the time open to aspiring regardless of race, though it offered limited hands-on instruction primarily through brief classroom sessions focused on basic techniques. Joyner graduated in 1916 as the first African American to complete the program, acquiring foundational skills in hair manipulation, including the application of hot combs and oils for straightening, which catered to market preferences for sleek styles among diverse clientele in urban settings. This milestone reflected her determination to overcome financial barriers, as she supported herself through odd jobs while training, honing practical proficiency that emphasized client-driven adaptations over theoretical study. Her early underscored a shift toward in , where formal curricula often fell short on real-world application, prompting Joyner to prioritize techniques addressing tangible demands like durable styling for textured hair in an of limited product options. This groundwork equipped her with versatile methods that later informed broader industry standards, though institutional segregation restricted access to specialized Black-led programs like those emerging from contemporaries such as Annie Turnbo Malone's Poro College.

Professional Career

Apprenticeship and Work with Madam C.J. Walker

Marjorie Joyner joined 's organization shortly after her 1916 graduation from A.B. Molar Beauty School, enrolling in Walker's beauty school to refine her skills in styling textures. There, she by mastering Walker's proprietary hair oil and straightening method while instructing students in the Marcel wave technique she had learned earlier, fostering a collaborative exchange that enhanced her expertise and Walker's curriculum. Following this period of hands-on training around 1917, Joyner advanced to national adviser and roles, supervising operations at over 200 Walker beauty schools across the . Her oversight ensured standardized instruction in products and methods, enabling the network's nationwide scalability despite post-Civil War economic barriers for Black entrepreneurs. Joyner demonstrated strong organizational and sales acumen by training roughly 15,000 agents and stylists in direct-selling strategies, including demonstrations that propelled company growth. This loyalty sustained Walker's enterprise, which by 1917 ranked as the largest , employing thousands of women in an industry reliant on agent-led distribution. She held these supervisory positions for over 50 years, contributing to the model's endurance.

Salon Operations and Instruction

After Madam C. J. Walker's death in 1919, Joyner assumed the role of national supervisor for the company's beauty colleges, overseeing operations at approximately 200 schools nationwide. In this position, she directed the training of thousands of beauticians, emphasizing practical instruction in hair styling and scalp care techniques tailored to diverse hair textures. This supervisory work persisted through the economic hardships of the , enabling the standardization of practices among agents and instructors affiliated with the Walker enterprise. Joyner's instructional efforts extended to on-the-ground coaching of representatives, who conducted demonstrations of products and services, thereby building a cadre of skilled professionals capable of sustaining independent operations. Her programs focused on advanced methods that improved service quality and client retention, contributing to the resilience of Black-owned salons amid fluctuating market conditions from the 1920s into subsequent decades. Throughout her tenure, which spanned over four decades, Joyner adapted training curricula to incorporate evolving industry standards, including refinements in pressing and curling processes, while maintaining oversight of agent performance and school compliance. This sustained involvement ensured continuity in , supporting economic opportunities for in well into the mid-20th century.

Inventions and Innovations

Development of the Permanent Wave Machine

Marjorie S. Joyner developed the permanent waving machine in response to the inefficiencies of traditional manual hair waving techniques, which involved laboriously processing curl-by-curl and often yielded inconsistent results due to uneven heat application. Inspired by the metal rods used to secure a during cooking, Joyner envisioned adapting similar rods as heated rollers to treat multiple hair sections simultaneously, drawing on everyday observation to engineer a more uniform process. She experimented by attaching 16 pencil-shaped rods to a modified hood connected via a single electrical cord, enabling controlled heating that could produce or straighten hair, addressing the distinct preferences of white clients seeking curls and Black clients desiring straighter styles. The machine's design featured a dome-like structure supporting electric irons and clamping devices suspended by cords from hooks, with hair wrapped around the rods, clamped, and heated evenly to set the style while incorporating a protector for . This ingenuity allowed for versatility across hair textures, applying consistent heat to achieve durable results without the variability of handheld methods. Joyner filed a on May 16, 1928, detailing the apparatus's components, including multiple clamping mechanisms for secure hair retention during the waving process. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office granted U.S. Patent No. 1,693,515 on November 27, 1928, recognizing Joyner's innovation as one of the earliest mechanized solutions for permanent hair alteration. As an employee of the Madam C.J. Walker Manufacturing Company, Joyner assigned the patent rights to the firm, facilitating its integration into Walker beauty schools and salons, which promoted widespread adoption and standardized efficiency in the industry despite forgoing personal royalties. The device's ability to process up to 16 hair sections at once markedly reduced treatment times from several hours to a fraction thereof, enhancing productivity and reliability in professional cosmetology.

Scalp Protector and Refinements

In 1929, Marjorie Joyner patented a protector as a direct refinement to her permanent wave machine, addressing practical challenges encountered during early implementations. The device, granted U.S. Patent No. 1,716,173 on June 4, 1929, consisted of a simple insulating shield formed from a single sheet or blank, positioned around sections of to isolate the from heated clamps and rods. This innovation utilized non-conductive materials to prevent direct contact, thereby mitigating risks of burns and irritation that arose when hot elements inadvertently touched the skin. The protector's development stemmed from user feedback in salon settings, where initial applications of the wave machine revealed discomfort from the thermal process, including pinches and scalds on the . Joyner responded with this empirical adjustment, prioritizing real-world over untested designs, as evidenced by the protector's integration of a hair-receiving incut and extending tongue for secure placement without compromising the waving action. Assigned to the Madame C.J. Walker Manufacturing Company, the highlighted Joyner's focus on iterative safety enhancements, enabling operators to maintain consistent heat application across multiple hair sections. When paired with the permanent wave machine, the scalp protector improved treatment tolerability, reducing interruptions and elevating client comfort, which supported higher salon volumes as operators could process up to 78 rods per session without frequent pauses for relief. This practical synergy contributed to the device's adoption in Walker-affiliated salons, where initial operational success—despite Joyner's assignment of rights—demonstrated the value of such targeted refinements in sustaining procedural efficiency and repeat business.

Civic Engagement and Activism

Involvement in Civil Rights Organizations

Joyner co-founded the United Beauty School Owners and Teachers Association in 1945 to elevate professional standards and provide vocational training for African American beauticians, enabling thousands to acquire marketable skills in the industry. That same year, she established the Alpha Chi Pi Omega Sorority and Fraternity, a professional organization dedicated to mutual support, continuing education, and skill-building among beauty culturists, countering economic dependency through practical expertise rather than reliance on external aid. As vice president of the Madam C.J. Walker Company, she supervised the instruction of thousands of stylists, emphasizing apprenticeships that fostered self-sufficiency and entrepreneurship in cosmetology. Her advocacy extended to regulatory reforms that professionalized the field, including contributions to ' inaugural cosmetology licensing laws in 1924, which ensured fairer labor practices by standardizing qualifications and reducing exploitative conditions in salons. These initiatives prioritized individual agency and market participation, training professionals who could operate independently and contribute to community . Following , Joyner engaged in civil rights efforts by promoting drives, leveraging her influence to encourage political participation among African American women as a means of asserting agency beyond economic spheres. Through women's professional networks like her founded sorority, she supported initiatives that integrated skill development with civic involvement, yielding tangible outcomes such as expanded licensed practitioners and heightened community .

Humanitarian Efforts

In 1935, Joyner became a founding member of the , established by , through which she collaborated on efforts to advance education and economic opportunities for African American women, including direct support for Bethune-Cookman College in . This involvement reflected her commitment to voluntary philanthropy drawn from earnings in the enterprise, emphasizing practical pathways to self-sufficiency via vocational training rather than dependency. Joyner served as a of Bethune-Cookman College from 1937 to 1990, providing ongoing financial contributions that aided the institution's development as a historically Black college focused on accessible higher education. In 1945, she co-founded the United Beauty School Owners and Teachers Association with Bethune, an organization dedicated to standardizing and promoting education among , training thousands of beauticians and enabling entrepreneurial independence in the beauty industry. These initiatives prioritized skill-building for upward mobility, aligning with Joyner's broader efforts to fund Black colleges and foster self-funding mechanisms through and business ownership. Her extended to raising funds for multiple historically colleges, leveraging networks from her to support educational access without reliance on government programs. By channeling resources into vocational and higher education, Joyner's work demonstrated causal links between targeted private giving and improved economic outcomes for recipients, as evidenced by the sustained growth of supported institutions like Bethune-Cookman.

Personal Life

Marriage and Relationships

Marjorie Joyner married Robert E. Joyner in 1916, shortly after graduating from beauty school at age 20. The couple had two daughters, and Barbara, whom Joyner raised while establishing her career in . The marriage lasted until Robert Joyner's death, after which Joyner continued to provide for her family independently, reflecting the self-reliance that characterized her professional endeavors. Public details on her personal relationships remain sparse, with available accounts emphasizing her primary roles as mother and household provider amid her business commitments.

Later Years and Death

In her later years, Marjorie Joyner resided in the home she had shared with her family for over sixty years, maintaining a focus on mentoring and in the beauty field following her primary career activities. She continued to emphasize traditional techniques amid industry shifts, including the rise of synthetic hair products, while avoiding any documented personal or professional controversies. Joyner died of heart failure on December 27, 1994, at her residence, at the age of 98. Her passing marked the end of a protracted period of sustained productivity in education and consultation.

Legacy and Impact

Economic Contributions to the Beauty Industry

Joyner's permanent wave machine, patented on November 20, 1928 (U.S. No. 1,693,259), featured 16 independent curling rods attached to a single heated hood, enabling beauticians to process multiple clients' hair simultaneously with uniform application of and chemicals. This design addressed the inefficiencies of prior manual methods, such as hot combs, which limited salons to treating one head at a time, thereby scaling service capacity and directly elevating salon revenues through higher client throughput. The machine's rapid adoption in Joyner's salon and subsequent spread to other establishments, serving both Black and white clients, underscored its market-driven viability, as salons voluntarily integrated it to capitalize on demand for durable, low-maintenance hairstyles without the hazards of excessive . Within the Manufacturing Company, where Joyner held executive roles including national supervisor of over 200 schools, the technology bolstered a enterprise model that employed thousands of African American women in , , and salon operations, exemplifying Black-led capitalist expansion through innovative service delivery rather than dependency on rudimentary techniques. By standardizing permanent waving processes and enabling ancillary developments like specialized lotions and stylist certification programs, Joyner's fostered diversified revenue streams and skilled labor markets, with evidence of profitability evident in the machine's widespread, uncoerced uptake across independent parlors. These efficiencies laid groundwork for the sector's evolution from fragmented, labor-intensive practices to a professionalized industry, where scalable innovations sustained long-term demand fulfillment and economic output in services.

Recognition and Honors

In 2023, Marjorie Stewart Joyner was posthumously inducted into the for her development of the permanent wave machine, under U.S. Patent No. 1,693,515 in 1928, which mechanized the process of creating permanent curls in hair for both Black and white clients. This honor recognized the device's technical innovation in efficiently applying heat and tension to multiple hair sections simultaneously, addressing limitations in prior manual methods. Joyner's 1928 patent positioned her as the first African American woman to secure a for a hair-waving device, a milestone documented in historical records of and inventor archives that highlight her precedence in applying to hair technology. Her contributions were further preserved through exhibits, such as those by the , emphasizing the patent's role in advancing beauty industry tools. Earlier accolades included a Lifetime Achievement Award from in 1986 and a recognition plaque from sorority in the same year, both tied to her pioneering work in hair innovation and professional training. In 1990, on her 95th birthday, the city of officially proclaimed October 24 as Marjorie Stewart Joyner Day to honor her inventions and career in .

Cultural and Social Influence

Joyner's permanent wave machine, patented in 1928, gained rapid acceptance in beauty salons for its ability to produce long-lasting straightened or waved hairstyles, meeting the expressed demand among African American women for more durable alternatives to daily pressing, which often reverted with perspiration or washing. This innovation enabled stylists to process up to seven clients simultaneously using its 16 adjustable rods and clamps, markedly improving efficiency over single-client manual methods and supporting the growth of Black-owned beauty enterprises. Widespread adoption across both Black and white salons reflected its versatility—for straightening tightly coiled or straight tresses—demonstrating practical utility in diverse cultural contexts and contributing to professionalization in the industry, with Joyner's training programs influencing over 15,000 stylists through Madam C. J. Walker's network of more than 200 schools. The machine's reception highlighted tangible benefits for women's social and professional lives, as straightened styles aligned with workplace grooming expectations in urban jobs during the and , fostering greater economic participation and self-assurance without the constant upkeep required for natural textures. Early users noted challenges like scalp burns from the heated process, which Joyner addressed via a scalp protector patent to enhance comfort and safety. Retrospective critiques, often rooted in later natural hair advocacy, portray such technologies as advancing Eurocentric aesthetics at the expense of cultural authenticity, yet empirical evidence underscores voluntary consumer choice driven by maintenance practicalities rather than imposition, with straightening services forming the economic backbone of culture for decades and persisting in popularity until mid-20th-century shifts. No records indicate ; instead, market —evidenced by its fixture in salons and role in building independent Black businesses—affirms causal responsiveness to real-world needs over ideological impositions.

References

  1. https://lemelson.mit.edu/resources/marjorie-joyner
  2. https://www.invent.org/inductees/marjorie-stewart-joyner
  3. https://prologue.blogs.archives.gov/2020/02/11/marjorie-s-joyner-more-than-an-inventor/
  4. https://blogs.loc.gov/inside_adams/2020/09/black-beauty-industry/
  5. https://americanhistory.si.edu/explore/stories/making-waves-beauty-salons-and-black-freedom-struggle
  6. https://patents.google.com/patent/US1693515A/en
  7. https://visit.archives.gov/whats-on/explore-exhibits/national-inventors-day-marjorie-s-joyner
  8. https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/joyner-marjorie-stewart-1896-1994
  9. https://www.chipublib.org/fa-marjorie-stewart-joyner-papers/
  10. https://blackpast.org/african-american-history/joyner-marjorie-stewart-1896-1994/
  11. https://prologue.blogs.archives.gov/2023/02/01/marjorie-s-joyner-more-than-an-inventor-2/
  12. https://americacomesalive.com/marjorie-stewart-joyner-1896-1994-inventor-of-a-permanent-hair-wave-machine/
  13. https://docsteach.org/document/joyner-patent-drawing-permanent-wave-machine/
  14. https://patents.google.com/patent/US1716173A/en
  15. https://theblackwallsttimes.com/2022/09/28/marjorie-stewart-joyner-is-why-black-women-have-waves-for-days/
  16. https://www.watchtheyard.com/zetas/zeta-phi-beta-sister-marjorie-joyner-was-the-third-african-american-woman-to-receive-a-patent/
  17. https://www.invent.org/blog/inventors/marjorie-stewart-joyner
  18. https://aaregistry.org/story/inventor-businesswoman-and-humanitarian-majorie-s-joyner/
  19. https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Stewart-31560
  20. https://homework.study.com/explanation/how-did-marjorie-joyner-die.html
  21. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/today-our-history-october-24-1896-marjorie-stewart-joyner-hardison
  22. https://brewminate.com/marjorie-s-joyner-a-black-inventor-and-her-permanent-wave-machine-in-1928/
  23. https://www.investors.com/news/management/leaders-and-success/marjorie-stewart-joyner-jazzed-up-womens-hair-styling/
  24. https://docsteach.org/document/marjorie-s-joyners-petition-permanent-wave-machine/
  25. https://www.happi.com/breaking-news/marjorie-stewart-joyner-inducted-into-national-inventors-hall-of-fame/
  26. https://edheads.org/text/marjorie-joyner-nee-stewart/
  27. https://www.facebook.com/fbhistorypage/posts/her-1928-invention-changed-hair-but-her-activism-changed-an-entire-industry/122207846936330721/
  28. https://oxfordre.com/americanhistory/americanhistory/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780199329175.001.0001/acrefore-9780199329175-e-433
  29. https://adht.parsons.edu/historyofdesign/objectives/cant-stand-the-heat-heat-projections-and-hot-comb-resistance-on-african-american-womens-hair-1860-present/
  30. https://nmaahc.si.edu/explore/stories/sizzle
Add your contribution
Related Hubs
User Avatar
No comments yet.