up with his family they traveled in the steerage class on board the S.S. Moltke III and were processed at Ellis Island on February 25, 1904; he had US$400 in his possession. They settled in St. Louis, Missouri. Life in the United States He sold his rouges and creams at the 1904 World's Fair, operating under the newly re-spelled name Max Factor. His partner in the venture stole all of his stock and the profits. With assistance from his brother and uncle, Factor recovered and opened a barber's shop. In August 1904, Max and his wife had their fourth child, Francis "Frank" Factor. However, on March 17, 1906, his wife collapsed and died from a brain hemorrhage. Anxious to provide a mother for his four children, he married Huma "Helen" Sradkowska on 15 August 1906. Despite the birth of Louis on August 29, 1907, the marriage was short-lived and ended in a prolonged court battle, as result of which Factor obtained custody of all of his children. Creation of an empire On January 21, 1908, Factor married Jennie Cook (March 1, 1886 – December 3, 1949), a neighbor. Later that year, Factor moved his family to Los Angeles, California, when he saw an opportunity to provide made-to-order wigs and theatrical make-up to the growing film industry. Initially, he established a shop on South Central Avenue, and advertised the business as "Max Factor's Antiseptic Hair Store." After the foundation of "Max Factor & Company" in 1909, he soon became the West Coast distributor of Leichner and Minor, two leading theatrical make-up manufacturers. Greasepaint in stick form—although the accepted make-up for use on the stage—could not be applied thinly enough, nor were the colors appropriate, to work satisfactorily on the screen during the early years of movie-making. Factor began experimenting with various compounds in an effort to develop a suitable make-up for the new film medium. By 1914, he had perfected the first cosmetic specifically created for motion picture use—a thinner greasepaint in cream form, packaged in a jar, and created in 12 precisely-graduated shades. Unlike theatrical cosmetics, it would not crack or cake. With this major achievement to his credit, Max Factor became the authority on cosmetics for film making. Soon, movie stars were eager to sample the "flexible greasepaint," while movie producers sought Factor's human hair wigs. He allowed the wigs to be rented to the producers of old Westerns,