Madam N.A. Franklin

Born in the small town of Cuero, Texas in 1892, Nobia A. Franklin was a Texas beautician and beauty entrepreneur. From a young age, she was fascinated with the world of beauty, styling the hair of her friends and neighbors, which eventually grew into a successful business.

Nobia Franklin married W. L. McCoy on June 7, 1907, and they had a daughter named Abbie. Franklin retained her maiden name and even gave her daughter the name Franklin, indicating a separation.

She operated a business in Fort Worth before settling in Houston. By 1915, she was running a salon in her home, and sold everything from hair tonics, creams and oils, to straightening combs, shampoos, and other cosmetics. Her business was centered around beauty products for black women, with cosmetics that were meant to flatter, rather than lighten darker skin tones.

In 1917, she opened the Franklin School of Beauty Culture in Houston to train more black women in her trade in what she called "the Franklin way."

By 1919 Franklin was a local celebrity. The Informer entertained readers with stories of her lavish parties, even announcing the menu and guest list. They printed her travel plans when she took an extended trip, and when Franklin renovated her downtown Houston parlor.

Franklin also opened a school and business in Chicago, but retained her status in Houston. Nationally, Franklin's business ranked third behind Annie M. Turnbo-Malone's Company, Poro, and Madame C. J. Walker's beauty empire.

On October 30, 1934, the first African American southern-born beauty operator to relocate north for expansion purposes, Nobia A. Franklin, died in Chicago. The family buried her back in Texas, in her birthplace of Cuero.

The Franklin School of Beauty celebrated its’ centennial anniversary in 2015, and is recognized as a historical institute, garnering support and recognition from leaders like Oprah, President Obama.

Sources: Houston Bound: Culture and Color in a Jim Crow City
By Tyina L. Steptoe (2016); Urban Skin RX (Feb. 2020); Texas State Historical Assoc. article by Bernadette Pruitt