Join author and historian Jane Plitt for an exploration of the life and work of Rochester businesswoman and women's rights pioneer Martha Matilda Harper. Jane Plitt, scholar of the life and work of Martha Matilda Harper, will discuss "How the Rochester Suffrage Movement Propelled A Local Immigrant's New Business Model Worldwide." The talk will highlight the key role of the Rochester men and women (including Susan B. Anthony and attorney John Van Voorhis) in supporting Martha Matilda Harper's healthy hair and skincare concept. Ultimately, Harper launched modern retail franchising around the world, putting poor servant and factory women into ownership positions and providing them with new economic and social options to live their lives. It was a brilliant display of networking that spread Harper's success.

[source: Monroe County Library website, 2017-Jun-19]