Hot comb from a travel hair care kit used by Anna Mae Queen Holmes

Source catalog description

This description refers to material held by Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Visual details below describe the original material.

A hot comb, also known as a pressing comb or straightening comb, used to straighten hair. The teeth of the comb are brass and the handle is wood. The comb has a removable metal end cap that can be unscrewed. The comb has a manufacturer's stamp on the middle of the comb in between the teeth and the handle: [RECK-JUNIOR / MADE IN GERMANY] The comb was placed on, or inside, a stove or another hot surface to heat it.

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