Category: Fashion & Beauty
-
Geneva Streeter
1943- Geneva Streeter (Wardell, Campbell) was the first Black “Queen of Rutgers-Newark” campus and her modeling career at Rutgers put her in national magazines. After college, she became a Newark teacher and principal for many years. Geneva Streeter grew up in Newark living at 156 Livingston St in 1950. She graduated West Side High, class…
-
Rebecca Newby
1919/1920-2005 Born in Alabama, raised in Newark, Newby attended Robert Treat and West Side High, where she was a member of the Glee Club and voted most likely to succeed vocally. She lived at 115 Wickliff in 1940. Newby designed and made dresses and was known as a fashion model. She studied fashion at Pratt…
-
Modina Boyd Watson
1926-1994 (Davis, Pulley) Modina Boyd was hairdresser, makeup artists, assistant, secretary, stylist and “gal Friday” for Sarah Vaughan who traveled the world with Vaughan from 1950-1960. Modina met Vaughan at Arts High where they became close friends. Later, she was attending Howard but left to work with Vaughan. Vaughan said, “with my secretary, Modina Davis,…
-
Rosamond Stewart Marrow
1903-1972 Bob Queen called Rosamond (Rosamund) Stewart Marrow, “one of NJ’s most outstanding personalities over the past half century.” Rosamond founded Simplex Beauty School, which was at 126-128 West Kinney Street. She was also a founder of the Cosmetologists Guild. She was president of the Board of the Community Hospital (African American hospital, previously Kenney)…
-
Renee Starks Steed
1914-1996 Renee Starks Steed was a fashion designer. She directed Renee’s School of French Designing and Modeling (591 High St) and ran New York Hat Shoppe 392 Springfield Ave. Renee founded Renee Stark Enterprises and Renee’s Rental Services. She also owned Renee’s Acreage Recreational Area in Tuckahoe, NJ. Renee founded the New Jersey Community Council…
-
Olivia Queene Brown
1882-1954 Beauty culturist since 1912, ran the Poro Beauty School on 9 Wallace Street which she opened in 1936 or 1937. On her death, the Afro American wrote how she had organized the Poro Club, training women, and allowing hundreds of women to enjoy “a comfortable living as Poro beauticians, agents and shopowners”. The Afro…
-
Mae T. Muldrow
1909 -1977 Mae Muldrow owned LaVogue Beauty Salon (Beauty and Wig Center) for 37 years. Mae was one of the founders of the Modern Beauticians Association, a national organization, and former president of Modern Beautician Investment Corp. She was active with the Cordelia Greene Johnson Foundation (scholarships for beauticians) and general chairman of the Beauty…
-
Ella Wright Moncur
1919-1999 Ella Moncur was born in Newark, lived in NYC in 1930. She was the wife of jazz artist and owned the Theatrical Beauty Salon in Newark, and also a salon called Monte’s Powder Puff. Ella later retired to Florida and taught there, her going away party featured in New York Age. She also was…