Mary E. Cobb

Mary E. Cobb

Mary E. Cobb (May 1852 - January 30, 1902) was the first known American manicurist and introduced modern nail manicuring to Britain and the United States.

Biography

Mary E. Cobb was born in 1852 in Lynchburg, Virginia to Pleasant A. Cobb, a carpenter and Mary Wade. After the Civil war she moved to New York City with her mother and two brothers. It was in New York in 1874 she met and married Dr. Joseph Parker Pray, a New England podiatrist who made a fortune purveying foot powders and ladies cosmetics.^[1]

Tradition is that around the time of her marriage Cobb traveled to France as a companion of the Baronesse de Rothschild where she learned the art of the nail manicure. Sources from the time indicate that she may have learned about traditional French manicuring in this period but that to a large extent she developed modern nail manicuring practices on her own and offered to professionally train women in that particular trade.^[2]

Cobb's first Manhattan manicure salon was opened in 1878 as Mrs. Pray's Manicure, and extension of her husband's manufacturing business. Over time Cobb's savvy business manner and focus on a higher-end market developed into the leading American beauty salon with two townhouses on West 23rd street in New York and branches in Chicago, Washington, Boston and Philadelphia.^[3] In addition to manicures, Cobb offered hairdressing and skin care. In 1884 Mary E. Cobb and J. Parker Pray divorced and by court order Mary retained custody of her children business and reverted to her maiden name as Mrs. Mary E. Cobb.^[4] In that same year she and her ex-husband made their most lasting contribution to the nail care industry with the invention of the emory board.^[5] Cobb's creation and running of the first nail manicure business along with her childhood background supports her claim that she was the actual inventor of the emory board rather than her ex-husband whose main role was executive of his drug and cosmetics manufacturing company.

Well into the early 20th century Parker Pray and Mary E. Cobb held a monopoly on the production and sale of the emory board along with many other related items such as red and pink nail "enamel".^[6] After her 1884 divorce she expanded into manufacturing producing her own line of cosmetics,nail care products, powders and steam facial machine.^[7] Cobb died in New York City on January 30, 1902, her manicure and beauty salons along with her cosmetics manufacture and retail business lasted an other thirty years. The industry which she pioneered would outpace her own company under he son's direction who lacked the innovative speed of Max Factor and Elizabeth Arden as well as suffering from mental health.^[8] Her lasting contribution is as a predecessor to the modern American nail and cosmetic industry and early role model of similarly female operated companies like Elizabeth Arden and Mary Kay.

References

1. ^ Haynes, D. O. (27). "Obituary J. Parker Pray". The Pharmaceutical era 19: 153. http://books.google.com/books?id=uuMfAQAAMAAJ&dq=Mary+E.+Cobb+J.+Parker+Pray&source=gbs_navlinks_s. Retrieved 27 August 2011. 
2. ^ "Women and their Work". The Nursing Record. 24 October 1889. http://rcnarchive.rcn.org.uk/data/VOLUME003-1889/page241-volume003-24october1889.pdf. Retrieved 27 August 2011. 
3. ^ "Mrs. Mary E. Cobb". NEW YORK'S GREAT INDUSTRIES. 1885. http://books.google.com/books?id=YIMasfD5sGIC&dq=Mrs.+Mary+E.+Cobb++manicure&source=gbs_navlinks_s. Retrieved 27 August 2011. 
4. ^ "The Manicures Divorce". New York Times. 24 May 1884. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F10B12F93C5B10738DDDAD0A94DD405B8484F0D3&scp=6&sq=%22Parker%20Pray%22&st=cse. Retrieved 27 August 2011. 
5. ^ Pray, J. Parker. "DESIGN FOR A NAIL-TRIMMER J. PABKEE PEAY". U.S. Patent File. Department of Commerce. http://www.google.com/patents?id=uYByAAAAEBAJ&pg=PA2&source=gbs_selected_pages&cad=1#v=onepage&q&f=false. Retrieved 27 August 2011. 
6. ^ Druggists circular 51: 95, 126. 1907. http://books.google.com/books?id=8XQgAQAAMAAJ&dq=emery+board+Pray&source=gbs_navlinks_s. Retrieved 27 August 2011. 
7. ^ "Mrs. Mary E. Cobb". NEW YORK'S GREAT INDUSTRIES. 1885. http://books.google.com/books?id=YIMasfD5sGIC&dq=Mrs.+Mary+E.+Cobb++manicure&source=gbs_navlinks_s. Retrieved 27 August 2011. 
8. ^ "MANICURE MAN SHOOTS SELF". New York Times. 22 November 1904. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F10F1EFF3D5912738DDDAB0A94D9415B848CF1D3. Retrieved 27 August 2011.