Badge from Madam C.J. Walker convention
date: label: Date
content: ca. 1920s
name: label: Manufactured by
content: Bastian Brothers Company, American, founded 1895
label: Photograph by
content: Addison N. Scurlock, American, 1883 - 1964
label: Subject of
content: Madam C.J. Walker, American, 1867 - 1919
label: Subject of
content: Madam C.J. Walker Manufacturing Company, American, founded 1906
label: Subject of
content: Alice Gause
notes: label: Caption
content: Madam C. J. Walker (1867-1919) was an African American entrepreneur, educator and philanthropist. Her company manufactured, distributed, and sold hair care products developed for black women. She also established beauty schools across the country that trained women to work as agents, known as “hair culturists.” Walker’s beauty schools and manufacturing company offered unique opportunities for African American women when there were few job options beyond domestic service and manual labor. Pins such as this one were awarded to successful agents at annual conventions.
label: Description
content: A tiered pin or badge, in gold metal. The first tier features an illustration of clasped hands,the forearms and hands of two males shaking hands, the second tier is a rectangular white placard with the name, "Alice Gause" handwritten in black ink. The third tier features a circular shaped black and white portrait of Madame C.J. Walker in an ornate gold metal frame. The tiers are connected via chains.
label: Transcription Center Status
content: Transcribed by digital volunteers
place: label: Place collected
content: Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, United States, North and Central America
topic: label: Topic
content: African American
label: Topic
content: Black Enterprise
label: Topic
content: Business
label: Topic
content: Women
setName: label: See more items in
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
label: Classification
content: Memorabilia and Ephemera - Other
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Dr. Patricia Heaston
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture
identifier: label: Object number
content: 2008.15.2
objectType: label: Type
content: portraits
label: Type
content: badges
objectRights: label: Restrictions & Rights
content: No Known Copyright Restrictions
label: Restrictions & Rights
content: Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
physicalDescription: label: Medium
content: brass (alloy), gold, lithographic ink on paper, metal, plastic and nitrocellulose
label: Dimensions
content: H x W: 4 5/16 x 2 3/8 x 5/16 in. (11 x 6.1 x 0.8 cm)