Nobia A. Franklin (1892–1934, also known as Madame N.A. Franklin) was a Texas beautician and entrepreneur. Her business, geared towards beauty products for black women, was ranked third in the country behind Annie M. Turnbo-Malone's company and Madame C.J. Walker's "beauty empire."[1] [2] Her cosmetics were "meant to flatter, rather than lighten darker skin tones."[3] Franklin's beauty products were never patented.[4]
Franklin was born in Cuero, Texas. She was married on June 7, 1907, though she kept her name and passed on her last name to her daughter, Abbie.[5] In 1910, she moved to San Antonio and opened a salon inside her home. During that time, she also sold her homemade hair products door-to-door to black families.[6] She was consciously emulating other "beauty moguls" like Walker.[7]
Franklin moved to Fort Worth in 1916. She operated a beauty salon there for a short time before she moved to Houston. In 1917, she opened the Franklin School of Beauty Culture. She also opened a manufacturing center for beauty projects in the same year.
In 1922, Franklin moved to Chicago, and taught the "Franklin way" of hair styling to others. She established a headquarters on South State Street, a branch on Grand Boulevard and a manufacturing plant for her beauty products on East 35th Street in Chicago.[8] She maintained her original school in Houston, even as she was expanding into other locations. In Houston, W.L. McCoy was the general manager of her salon, overseeing a renovation of the building in 1924.[9]
She began to prepare her daughter, Abbie to take over the business; in 1927, they formed the N.A. Franklin Association of Beauty Culture. In 1930, for health reasons, she turned over her business to Abbie and her son-in-law, James H. (J.H.) Jemison. When Franklin died in 1934, her business was inherited by Abbie and Jemison.[10]
Abbie and Jemison continued to promote Franklin's beauty school, although they withdrew from Chicago and focused on Houston after 1934. Franklin's beauty school is still in operation in Houston.[11] It is considered the "oldest continuously operated beauty school in Texas," and before desegregation, was the largest African American beauty school in the Southern United States.