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Contribution #223 of 365
Christiana Carteaux Bannister
Hair-Care Entrepreneur, Salon Owner and Wigmaker
1840s–1870s
The contribution
How this work helped shape America
Born in Rhode Island and descended from enslaved Black Americans, Christiana Carteaux Bannister built a successful nineteenth-century beauty enterprise as a hairdresser, wigmaker and salon owner. Known professionally as Madame Carteaux, she operated salons in Massachusetts and later Rhode Island and earned income through hairdressing and the sale of her own hair products, expanding Black American participation in the urban beauty economy.