Madam C.J. Walker — Empire Builder

Born Sarah Breedlove in 1867 to parents who had been enslaved. Died in 1919 the first self-made female millionaire in America.

She was orphaned at seven, married at fourteen, widowed at twenty — a single mother washing other people's laundry for $1.50 a day. Then her hair started falling out, and she couldn't find a product made by anyone who understood it.

So she made her own. Then she went door to door. Then she trained thousands of other Black women to do the same, and paid them well enough to buy houses — at a time when the work available to them was almost entirely domestic labor.

She didn't just build a business. She built a way out — and handed the door to other people.

THE VERIFIED RECORD
Born Sarah Breedlove, December 23, 1867 — Delta, Louisiana.
Died May 25, 1919 — Irvington, New York.
Founder, Madam C.J. Walker Manufacturing Company.
Widely recognized as the first self-made female millionaire in America.

THE PIECE
Front: the portrait.
Back: built from nothing — the full record.
Left sleeve: the crown.

Garment-dyed heavyweight cotton. Comfort Colors 1717 in black — pre-shrunk, relaxed fit, and softer every wash. Printed with the real history, verified against primary sources before it was ever put on a shirt.

Built to Endure.

Read the full record: rylandworks.com/pages/madam-cj-walker