Hidden Figures: Lyda Newman #BlackHERstoryMonth 20/28 (Patreon)

Hidden Figures: Lyda Newman #BlackHERstoryMonth 20/28

African-American inventor Lyda D. Newman patented a new and improved hairbrush in 1898 while living in New York. A hairdresser by trade, Newman designed a brush that was easy to keep clean, durable, easy to make and provided ventilation during brushing by having recessed air chambers. In addition to her novel invention, she was a women's rights activist. Born in Ohio circa 1885, Lyda Newman, 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. While she was not the original inventor of the hair brush, Lyda Newman's improvements to the brush made her a significant contributor to its evolution. Granted a patent for her invention in 1898, Newman's brush was the first hairbrush with synthetic bristles (prior to that brushes were made from animal hair, such as boar's hair). But Newman's brush also had several other unique innovations. Most notably, Lyda Newman's hair brush was designed to promote ventilation and provide storage for excess hair or impurities. As noted in Newman's patent: "The object of the invention is to provide a new and improved hair brush which is simple and durable in construction, very effective when in use, and arranged to permit of conveniently cleaning the brush whenever desired." In 1898, Newman applied for a United States patent for a new style of hairbrush, receiving it on November 15, 1898. Her hairbrush design included several features for efficiency and hygiene. It had evenly spaced rows of bristles, with open slots to guide debris away from the hair into a recessed compartment, and a back that could be opened at the touch of a button for cleaning out the compartment. With Newman's innovative brush, impurities pulled from the scalp or hair would pass through the openings or slots in the brush to a recess in the back. The impurities could then be emptied from the brush by disconnecting the holder and dumping or blowing them out. Easy access to the bristles also permitted the user to clean them out whenever necessary. In 1915, Newman was mentioned in local newspapers for her suffrage work. She was one of the organizers 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, Newman canvassed her neighborhood to raise awareness of the cause and organized suffrage meetings in her voting district. 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. #LydaNewman #HiddenFigures ****************** Merchandise! MAKE SURE U GETTA SHIRT!! https://www.teepublic.com/user/sssseren Follow me on social media! Twitter: @seren_sensei Instagram: @sensei_aishitemasu Personal Tumblr: http://sensei-aishitemasu.tumblr.com Tumblr for my work: https://sssseren.tumblr.com Snapchat: sssseren GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/tc5wh7q Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/seren_sensei ****************** Did you know I wrote a book? ☺️ 'So, About That... A Year of Contemporary Essays on Race and Pop Culture' Paperback: https://www.amazon.com/About-That-Contemporary-Essays-Culture-ebook/dp/B013V0CHK6 Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B013V0CHK6 Digital download (e-book): https://gumroad.com/l/IkUa ****************** Links: Lyda D. Newman and Her Fabulous Hairbrush (YouTube): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9DhseOz-jI Black History Month Moment - Lyda Newman (YouTube): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVlNoNAA0jQ Lyda Newman: https://www.biography.com/people/lyda-newman-21071221 'Lyda Newman Invents Vented Hair Brush:' https://www.thoughtco.com/inventor-lyda-newman-1991285 'Lyda Newman - Inventor of an Improved Hair Brush:' http://www.women-inventors.com/Lyda-Newman.asp Lyda D. Newman (Wikipedia): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyda_D._Newman