When was lydia o newman born

She wanted the process of brushing hair to be more hygienic and efficient. Most hairbrushes at the time were made using animal hair, but the material was too soft to effectively treat the thicker texture of African American hair. Newman used synthetic fibers which were more durable and easier to clean.

The brush contained evenly spaced rows of bristles with open slots to clear debris away from the hair into a recessed compartment. The back could be opened with a button for cleaning out the compartment. Newman Unknown , Find A Grave n. Skip to content Lyda Newman. Do you find this information helpful?

A small donation would help us keep this accessible to all. Forego a bottle of soda and donate its cost to us for the information you just learned, and feel good about helping to make it available to everyone! Ursin, C. Mary Bellis covered inventions and inventors for ThoughtCo for 18 years.

She is known for her independent films and documentaries, including one about Alexander Graham Bell. Updated January 29, Featured Video. Cite this Article Format. Bellis, Mary. Famous Black Inventors of the 19th- and Early 20th-Centuries. Thomas W. Stewart, Inventor of the Wringing Mop. Black American History and Women Timeline: — National Woman's Rights Conventions.

Your Privacy Rights. To change or withdraw your consent choices for ThoughtCo. At any time, you can update your settings through the "EU Privacy" link at the bottom of any page. Lyda Newman was an African American activist and hairdresser who invented the bristle hair combing brush.

Lyda Newman was born in Ohio in She relocated to the Manhattan district of New York in her childhood. It is unclear if she ever went to school. Her historical information is missing from official records. Most African Americans then were slaves and even the freeborn were treated with disregard. Thus no clear records were preserved. It is speculated that she was a slave who ran away from her owner and settled in New York.

If that was so then her resolve to get her freedom was above anything else. She arrived in New York as a child with nothing to sustain herself with.

She was hired as a hairdresser, the only thing she could do. Back then most of the hair brushes were made of boar hair. The bristles were soft and only applied well on Caucasian hair.