The Toilet Parlor: From Discreet Luxury to Modern Beauty Salon

 

Women Believed to be Martha Matilda Harper

Library of Congress

The other day, I was researching a wife of one of the pioneers buried in our cemetery.  I came across an ad in 1897 that she had placed in the newspaper.  She had a business in her home called a "toilet parlor", and of course, I was surprised!

In late 19th-century America, the phrase “toilet parlor” did not refer to a bathroom, but to a discreet and fashionable space for women’s grooming, hairdressing, and beauty treatments. The word “toilet” derived from toilette—the French term for the rituals of dressing and personal care—while “parlor” suggested refinement and privacy.

For much of the 19th century, women’s beauty culture carried a social stigma. Cosmetics were associated with actresses or “painted women,” and many respectable women avoided overt grooming outside the home. A toilet parlor solved this dilemma. By providing a female-centered, parlor-like atmosphere, these establishments offered:

• Privacy: women could have their hair styled or receive treatments away from the male-dominated barber shop.
• Respectability: the word “parlor” softened the act of professional grooming, presenting it as genteel rather than vain.
• Social comfort: toilet parlors often doubled as gathering spots, where women could converse in safe, female-only environments.

One of the most influential figures in legitimizing women’s beauty spaces was Martha Matilda Harper, a Canadian immigrant who opened her first public hair salon in Rochester, New York, in 1888. Harper introduced innovations such as the reclining shampoo chair and emphasized cleanliness, health, and moral uplift alongside beauty. She also pioneered one of the earliest franchise systems, spreading “Harper Method” salons across the U.S. and abroad, helping to transform hairdressing into a respected profession for women.

At the same time, trade publications like The American Hairdresser (founded in 1877 and later renamed American Salon) chronicled the rise of professional beauty culture. These journals helped standardize techniques, advertised new products, and promoted the idea of the beauty parlor as a legitimate business rather than a questionable indulgence.

In practice, a toilet parlor was the forerunner of the modern beauty salon. Inside, women might find:

• Hairdressing and wig services
• Facial massages, skin treatments, and “toilet waters” (light perfumes)
• Manicures and nail buffing
• A parlor furnished with chairs, mirrors, and draped curtains—designed to feel more like a sitting room than a shop

By the 1890s, toilet parlors reflected a broader cultural shift. What once might have branded a woman as frivolous or “wayward” was increasingly recast as a mark of modern refinement and self-care. Thanks to pioneers like Martha Harper and the professionalization of the trade, the toilet parlor laid the foundation for today’s beauty salons.

 - by Val

The Fraternal Order of Argonauts - 1890

The Argonauts in Greek Mythology

Library of Congress

The Order of the Fraternal Argonauts was a fraternal organization that operated in the late 19th century, primarily in San Francisco.  They filed articles of incorporation in 1890, and deemed themselves as an organization for charity, benevolence, and social purposes. It was one of many such secretive and ritualistic societies popular during that era, designed to foster a sense of camaraderie, mutual aid, and moral guidance among its members. Argonauts interacted with Greek heroes who embarked on a daring quest for the Golden Fleece under the leadership of Jason, the Order emphasized values of adventure, brotherhood, and perseverance.

Fraternal orders like the Argonauts often had structured hierarchies, elaborate initiation rituals, and meetings conducted in private lodges or halls. Members typically participated in ceremonies that reinforced their shared values, and the organizations often had distinctive symbols, regalia, and secret rites. Although specific details about the Order of the Fraternal Argonauts are limited, its members would have likely engaged in social, charitable, and possibly even financial support activities, creating a tightly knit community that helped one another in times of need. These societies provided men with not only social opportunities but also networking, protection, and support, which were especially valued in a rapidly industrializing and socially complex America. 

Elena Redondo Garfias (1862-1890) - Wife of Marshal Henry Garfias

 

Photo from PCA Archives

Elena Redondo was born in 1862, probably on the family ranch outside of Yuma.  She was one of eight children born to Piedad Contreras and Jose Maria Redondo.

She married Henry Garfias on April 13^th, 1883, in Yuma, Arizona Territory.  The newlyweds subsequently established their home in Phoenix.  They had two children: Maria Claudina, born in 1884, and Emmanuel Henrico “Manuel Henry” in 1887.  Elena died 22 March 1890, apparently due to complications from her third pregnancy.

Elena’s husband, Henry Garfias, led a colorful and well-documented life in Phoenix.  However, his wife's family history is also a notable record of Hispanic influence in the Arizona Territory, California and Sonora, Mexico.

The Redondo family's roots go back to Spain but they had been in Sonora, Mexico, for several generations prior to Elena's father and other family members going to the goldfields of California in 1849.

Jose Maria Redondo married Piedad Contreras in California and in 1859, they and their two children (with one more on the way), moved to Yuma, Arizona Territory, along with Piedad's extended family.  They first established a home in Laguna outside of Yuma, where they ran a bakery and store in the mining community.

Eventually, Jose acquired a very large ranch in Yuma called Hacienda de San Ysidro.  He dammed the Gila River and used the water to irrigate vineyards, orchards and fields of grain and vegetables as well as growing fodder for cattle, horses and sheep. He was the first grower of lettuce in Yuma County.

He had mining interests as well and served in the Arizona Territorial Legislature, where he was instrumental in getting the Territorial Prison located in Yuma.

Elena's brother, Jose “Joe” Redondo, ran the first Hispanic newspaper in Phoenix, El Progresso.

Although there is little information about Elena after her marriage, Henry Garfias' status in Phoenix must have meant they were socially active in both the Hispanic and white communities.

Elena is buried in the City/Loosley Cemetery at the Pioneer Military and Memorial Park in Phoenix, Arizona.

-story by Susan Wilcox

#5 - Grant LeBarr (1864 - 1890) - Freighter

PCA Archive

Grant LeBarr was born in 1864 in California to Johnnie and Mary LeBarr. By 1879, the family was living in Phoenix. A freighter, LeBarr was shot by John Stoops on December 21, 1890, in front of Jakey’s saloon at the Peck Mine. His body was returned to Phoenix for burial next to his father in the IOOF Cemetery.

Francis Eugene Lake (1845 - 1890) - Civil War Veteran

Picture Created by Val (AI)

Francis "Frank" E. Lake was born in Kalamazoo, Michigan in 1845.  Not much is known about Frank, other than his military record and history of illness. He died in June of 1890 at the county hospital after a long struggle with consumption, and was buried with military honors in Porter Cemetery.  He served in the 72nd Illinois Infantry, Company F, known as the Chicago Board of Trade Regiment, during the Civil War.  Frank Lake served from 1862 to 1865.  The infantry lost 242 men during its time in the war to disease and battle.  

It is not known if Frank was ever married or had children.  His military records state that when he was mustered in at 17, he was a farmer in St. Joseph, Michigan.  He was single, and stood 5'5" with black hair and blue eyes.  He had apparently contracted consumption during his service in the war.  It is not known when he came to Phoenix, although an 1884 voter registration log was found with his name in it.  

The sentiments of a newspaper reporter described his funeral procession as a "sad and pitiful cortege passing down Washington" in which 15 union veterans from G.A.R. followed stepping in time to the Death March.  There were no other mourners.  The reporter went on to say "No flag was half-mast, no secession in the busy rush of trade....not many seemed to know or care that one who bared his breast to the shock of war from which they today enjoy an undivided country" was being laid to rest, reflecting a sentiment that some shared that society was forgetting about those who had fallen for freedom.  

Frank died in poverty, and was buried by his Union comrades.  He is marked with a simple military marker.

   

 

Fashion of the 1890s

"Men's Fashion 1890's"
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division
Washington, D.C.

http://loc.gov/pictures/resource/ppmsca.45062/

"Women's Fashion 1890s"
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division
Washington, D.C.

https://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/ppmsca.45006

One of our last blog posts was about a tragic death of a young woman named Lunice Teel.  She worked at the Boston Store.  These would have been some fashions that may have been sold there during this time.....