Lyda Newman, born in Ohio circa 1885, was an African American inventor and women’s rights activist. A hairdresser by trade, she received a patent for an improved model of hairbrush in 1898. She also fought for women’s right to vote, working with well known women’s suffrage activists. Newman lived much of her adult life in New York City
1885
Ohio, America
African American
1898- Newman applied for a United States patent for a new style of hairbrush and received the patent at the age of 13.
1915 – Newman became known in local newspaper for her suffrage work
Newman was born in 1885 to a steelworker and a housewife in Ohio By the late 1890s, she was a New York City resident.
In 1898 when she was aged thirteen years Newman applied for a United States patent for a new style of hairbrush which she received on 15 November 1898.
Newman’s design was specifically made for African American hair. The brush also had an air chamber that allowed airflow to the bristles and the new hairbrush was cheaper and easier to manufacture
Newman is also remembered for her women’s rights advocacy. By 1915, she was mentioned in local newspapers for her suffrage work and was one of the organisers of an African American branch of the Woman Suffrage Party, which was fighting to give women the legal right to vote. Working on behalf of her fellow African American women in New York, she canvassed her neighbourhood to raise awareness of the cause, and organised suffrage meetings.
Prominent white suffragists of the Woman Suffrage Party worked with Newman’s group, hoping to bring voting rights to all of New York’s female residents.
https://www.biography.com/activist/lyda-newman
https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/lyda-newman-1885/
