Pauline Brown Humphrey and the Crescent School
for Beauty Culture
 In
1935, Pauline Humphreys of Des Moines attended Madame C.J.Walker’s
Beauty School in Chicago and became a licensed cosmetologist.
Deciding to open her own school, she sought Iowa certification,
but struggled to find a school that would accept an African American.
She finally found one in Fort Dodge. In 1939, she opened “Crescent
School for Beauty Culture” on Center Street in Des Moines.
Crescent School trained black beauticians, placing students all
over the country. From 1953 to 1955, Freda Blakey of Cedar Rapids
attended the Des Moines school. After graduation, she worked in
shops in Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, Detroit and Chicago, before
returning to Cedar Rapids to marry and open her own shop. The
featured curling iron and press comb were used by Freda while
attending the Crescent School, Des Moines.
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