These rare materials representing Annie T. Malone's Poro Beauty Care Business help document the work of Annie Malone, leading beauty culturalist, philanthropist, and entrepreneur during the early 20th century. The materials were owned by Lucille Brown, a 1915 graduate of Annie Malone's Poro College.
Annie Malone (1869 1957) Metropolis, Illinois created and manufactured a number of hair and skin care products and toiletries under the name Poro, a Senufo word that means physical and spiritual growth. She founded Poro College in St. Louis, Missouri to train African American women who were interested in learning about black hair and skin care and how to establish and maintain their own beauty care businesses. In 1902, Malone began selling her products door to door and by the early 1920s, she was a successful multi-millionaire. By 1943 two divorces, a couple of lawsuits, and the federal government's pursuit of her for tax evasion destroyed the business.