Elizabeth Arden
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Elizabeth Arden (December 31, 1878 - October 18, 1966), aka Florence Nightingale Graham, was a Canadian-born U.S. beautician, and cosmetics entrepreneur.
She was born in Woodbridge, Ontario, Canada and after her early schooling she moved to New York in 1908 opening a beauty salon with a partner, Elizabeth Hubbard. When the partnership dissolved, she coined the business name "Elizabeth Arden" from her former partner and from Tennyson's poem "Enoch Arden."
She revolutionized cosmetics, bringing a scientific approach to formulations and most importantly bringing respectability to the field.
In 1915 she married, thus becoming an American citizen. The same year she began international operations. Although most of her commercial success was in cosmetics, she also pioneered restorative musical exercises based on yoga.
She started a fashion business in 1943 with notable designers like Oscar de la Renta on staff.
She died in New York City in 1966 and was interred in the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, Sleepy Hollow, New York. Her estate was worth $30 to $40 million dollars (US) and she had over a hundred salons worldwide.
Her cosmetics company continues to trade today, and was bought from Unilever in 2003 by FFI, a New York company. They changed their name to Elizabeth Arden, and are listed on the NASDAQ (RDEN). The current 'face' of Elizabeth Arden is Catherine Zeta Jones. They also hold the license to the Britney Spears Fragrance, Curious.
External links
- FBI dossier on Elizabeth Arden (http://foia.fbi.gov/foiaindex/arden.htm)
- Sleepy Hollow Cemetery (http://www.sleepyhollowcemetery.org)