Langston Hughes called the six-foot-tall heiress to the Madame C.J. Walker fortune the "joy goddess" during the Harlem Renaissance years in the 1920s. The famous daughter of Madame Walker inherited the beauty fortune of the first self-made female American millionaire during the height of the Renaissance years and would be known for her extravagant parties where hundreds of Harlem's new social elite would be invited. Lelia Walker added an "A" to her name after her mother's passing and her bohemian nature was also reflected in a lavish way of dressing. Riding boots, embroidered turbans, and jewels were no stranger to one of the wealthiest women in the country who held court for all of the upcoming artists and writers in Harlem. The Dark Tower on 136th Street was the salon that A'Lelia Walker entertained at but did not last long once the Depression years hit and eventually was torn down by 1941
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Photo courtesy of the James Weldon Johnson Memorial Collection/Yale
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