Annie Wood

Madam C.J. Walker (Sarah Breedlove) 

 By the age of twenty, Sarah Breedlove, who would come to be known as Madam C. J. Walker, was orphaned and widowed. She worked for years as a washerwoman to support her daughter. Inspired by a book she read (Up From Slavery by Booker T. Washington) Sarah Breedlove called for black people to lift themselves up by working hard and developing skills. In 1905 she changed her name to Madam C.J. Walker and invented a hair pomade and other beauty products that she marketed to black women. 

She was an entrepreneur, philanthropist, and political and social activist and was considered the wealthiest African-American businesswoman and wealthiest self-made woman in America at the time of her death in 1919. 

 "I had to make my living and my opportunity.  But I made it!  Don’t sit down and wait for the opportunities to come.  Get up and make them." 

 This full-sized mannequin is 5'8" high and stands on a metal stand. 

 My Process: 

 I découpaged this piece with newspaper clippings and ads of that era relevant to Madam C.J. Walker. 

 I combined pearls and gold leaf around her neck, and she wears a costume jewelry piece that once belonged to my stylish mamma. My late mom would have loved to know that she is part of my art. (in more ways than one.) 

 The gold leaf was a gift to me from the mayor of Rimini, Italy. He climbed up a ladder and retrieved it while renovating the classic theatre for me to use in my art. This real gold leaf has a history of its own. 

 This statement piece is bound to make an impression in the right home. 

 Good Vibes Always, Annie Wood 

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