Karl Nessler

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Turn of the century advertisement for Nessler's permanent wave machine.

Karl Ludwig Nessler (* 2 May 1872 in Todtnau, Germany; † 22 January 1951 in Harrington Park (New Jersey, USA)) was the german inventor of the permanent wave.

Karl Nessler was the son of a shoemaker from Todtnau, a small town located high in the Black Forest, just beneath the Feldberg. He gets the idea for the perm early in his youth. He begins an aprenticeship which he drops. He works in Basle and Milan in different jobs, learns Italian and French and finally moves to Geneva, there he works again as a barber and hairdresser and finishes his apprenticeship. Adapting to the french speaking environment he calls himself furthermore Charles Nessler. Later he moves on to Paris where he tests his first perm on a certain Katharina Laible from Ulm in Germany, his later wife.

In 1902 ^[1] his artificial eyebrows are patented in the United Kingdom.

He moves to London and marries Katharina.

His attempts to convince his English collegues of his invention fail, but his electric permanent wave machine was patented in London in 1909 ^[2], ^[3]. 1912 some improvements of his apparatus are patented again ^[4]. In 1914 a last improvement before the outbreak of the war will be patented ^[5]

When the First World War breaks out he is interned and his assets confiscated as alien property. In 1915 he flees to the United States where he has to learn, that counterfeited copies of his invention are already sold. In April 1919 his improved Hair Curler is filed at the US-Patent Office, he is already an US-citizen, holder of the patent is his Nestle Patent Holding Co. Inc ^[6]He developes a do it yourself kit for perms and opens a chain of hair saloons. In 1927 his chain has 500 employees with branches in New York, Chicago, Detroit, Palm Beach and Philadelphia. The annual advertising budget is 300.000 $.

He raises to considerable wealth, during the 1920s hyperinflation in Germany he donates the respectable sum of 20'000 Mark to the impoverished people of his hometown, but looses almost everything in 1929 on the Black Friday. His attempts to regain his losses are hindered by the breakout of the Second World War and never really succeeded.

On 22 January 1951 Karl Nessler dies in Harrington Park, New Jersey.

[edit] Sources

1. ^ A New or Improved Method of and Means for the Manufacture of Artificial Eyebrows, Eyelashes and the like. British patent GB000190218723A, submitted August 26, 1902, approved November 6, 1902. US-Patent US000001450259A 1921.
2. ^ A New or Improved Process of Waving Natural Hair on the Head. British patent GB000190902931A, submitted February 6, 1909, approved Februar 2, 1910
3. ^ Improvements in Apparatus for use in Waving Natural Hair on the Head. British patent GB000190920597A, submitted February 6, 1909, approved Februar 3, 1910.
4. ^ Improvements in Hair Curlers. British patent GB000191223357A , submitted October 12, 1912, approved Juni 26, 1913.
5. ^ Improvements in or connected with the Waving of Natural Hair on the Head. British patent GB000191408117A , submitted March 31, 1914, approved June 24, 1915.
6. ^ US-Patent US000001400370A: Hair-waving apparatus. submitted April 16, 1918, approved December 13, 1921