Martha Anne's Beauty Shop

Permanent wave machine beautifies
the roaring twenties

The beauty shop exhibit features a permanent wave machine that was a nineteenth century invention that came into popular use in the 1920s. Current generations wonder how ladies using the device were not electrocuted in the process.

But the art of arranging hair or modifying its natural state has long provided a satisfying career for many.

The wave machine was eventually replaced by the chemical wave of the 1940s, which remains in fashion today.

This particular exhibit features many tools of the trade and pictures of some prominent Albany faces modeling different styles. A special thanks is given to Martha Anne Warnke, a well-known Albany beautician, who helped arrange the exhibit and provided a number of items for the display.