Born: 1866, United States
Died: 24 March 1953
Country most active: United States
Also known as: Alice A. Tolliver
The following is republished from the National Park Service. This piece falls under under public domain, as copyright does not apply to “any work of the U.S. Government” where “a work prepared by an officer or employee of the U.S. Government as part of that person’s official duties” (See, 17 U.S.C. §§ 101, 105).
A successful dressmaker and clubwoman, Alice Casneau had an active professional and public life in Boston during the turn of the 20th century.
Limited documented evidence exists regarding Alice Casneau’s personal life. Originally from Virginia, a 1900 Census record shows her living with her family—husband, Elmer Casneau, and young daughter, Pearl Casneau—in Boston. By 1900, however, Casneau had already made a name for herself within the community as a dressmaker and a vocal member of Boston’s Black community.
In the early 1890s, Alice Casneau joined the Woman’s Era Club, a Boston-based Black women’s club that encouraged self-improvement and community work. Along with club president Josephine St. Pierre Ruffin and other members, Casneau contributed to the First National Conference of Colored Women of America in 1895. She served on the Committee on Special Work and participated in some of the sessions.
Also in 1895, Casneau published Casneau’s Guide for Artistic Dress Cutting and Making. Her introduction commented on the necessity of this dress-making book:
To the woman of moderate means and to the young dressmaker this book is invaluable. It is sure to satisfy a long-felt want of women in general, and especially those who do their sewing at home or women who anticipate learning the trade as means of gaining a livelihood.
Casneau’s skills in dressmaking and business became so recognized that she spoke at the first meeting of the National Negro Business League, held in Boston in 1900. Giving a session on “Dressmaking,” Casneau argued that success in business can only be obtained through hard work, education, and “business courage.” In this talk, Casneau recounted an instance of her own business courage when she hesitated to meet with a woman who had read her book and asked for lessons without knowing her racial identity. Casneau remembered saying to herself: “If you allow this circumstance to master you[,] you are not worthy of success.” She went on to tell the rest of the encounter:
I entered that room a woman, not particularly a colored woman. The young girl acted just as I had supposed she would, but it had no effect on me, because I had already fought my battle from within and was prepared to talk so fast about the work, and what she wanted to know, that she was soon relieved of all embarrassment. I…gave her several lessons, have her letter of recommendation, and, best of all, have the strength which comes from a conquest over self.
Over the following years, Casneau continued to participate in local events, recognizing the role Black women had to play in community activism. She joined the Northeastern Federation of Colored Women’s Clubs (also known as the New England Federation of Colored Women’s Clubs), giving talks during sessions held in Boston. During World War I, Casneau worked alongside Florida Ridley, Maria Baldwin, and others in the Soldiers’ Comfort Unit, later the League of Women for Community Service. She also appeared to have an interest in politics during this time, taking a 1918 Parliamentary Law Class at Roxbury High School alongside suffragist Margaret Foley and other local activists.
While few records document her later work, Alice Casneau remained active in the League of Women for Community Service, as well as other local organizations, for the remaining years of her life.
Alice Casneau died at her home in Roxbury on March 24, 1953.