Jackie Ormes facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Jackie Ormes |
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Jackie Ormes holding a Patty-Jo doll.
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| Born | Zelda Mavin Jackson August 1, 1911 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
| Died | December 26, 1985 (aged 74) Chicago, Illinois |
| Nationality | American |
| Area(s) | Cartoonist |
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Notable works
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Torchy Brown in Dixie to Harlem Candy Patty Jo 'n' Ginger Torchy in Heartbeats (originally titled Torchy Brown Heartbeats) and accompanying Torchy Togs (paper doll cutouts). |
| Awards | National Association of Black Journalists Hall of Fame Will Eisner Comic Industry Hall of Fame |
Jackie Ormes (born August 1, 1911 – died December 26, 1985) was an American cartoonist. She is famous for being the first African-American woman to create a nationally published comic strip. She created popular comic strips like Torchy Brown and the Patty-Jo 'n' Ginger panel.
Contents
Early Life and First Jobs
Jackie Ormes was born Zelda Mavin Jackson on August 1, 1911, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Her father, William, owned a printing company and a movie theater. Sadly, he died in a car accident in 1917 when Jackie was six. She and her older sister Dolores lived with their aunt and uncle for a short time.
Later, Jackie's mother remarried, and the family moved to Monongahela. Jackie said this town was "spread out and simple." She finished high school there in 1930.
Drawing and Writing in School
Jackie loved to draw and write all through high school. She was the arts editor for her high school yearbook in 1929–1930. Here, you can see her first drawings, which were fun pictures of her school's students and teachers.
During this time, she wrote a letter to the editor of the Pittsburgh Courier. This was a weekly African-American newspaper. The editor, Robert Vann, wrote back to her. This led to her first writing job: covering a boxing match! She enjoyed covering more matches and became a big fan of boxing.
Starting in Journalism
Ormes began her career in journalism as a proofreader for the Pittsburgh Courier. A proofreader checks text for mistakes before it's printed. She also worked as an editor and a freelance writer. This meant she wrote articles for different topics, like police stories, court cases, and everyday human-interest stories.
She enjoyed her job, saying she had "a great career running around town, looking into everything the law would allow, and writing about it." But what she really wanted to do was draw.
Becoming a Cartoonist
Jackie Ormes's first comic strip was called Torchy Brown in Dixie to Harlem. It first appeared in the Pittsburgh Courier on May 1, 1937. Even though her work wasn't "syndicated" (meaning sold to many different newspapers by a company), the Courier had fourteen city editions. This meant her comics were read all across the country.
The comic strip was about Torchy Brown, a funny teenager from Mississippi. She became famous by singing and dancing in the Cotton Club in New York City. Torchy's journey from Mississippi to New York was like the journey of many African-Americans during the Great Migration. Through Torchy Brown, Ormes became the first African-American woman to create a comic strip that appeared nationwide. The strip ran until April 30, 1938. No one is sure why it ended, but it was probably because her contract finished.
Moving to Chicago and New Comics
Ormes moved to Chicago in 1942. She started writing articles and a social column for The Chicago Defender. This was another important black newspaper. For a few months during World War II, her single-panel cartoon called Candy appeared in the Defender. It was about a pretty and witty housemaid. This cartoon ran from March 24 to July 21, 1945.
By August 1945, Ormes's work was back in the Courier with a new single-panel cartoon called Patty-Jo 'n' Ginger. This cartoon ran for 11 years! It showed a big sister and a little sister. The little sister, Patty-Jo, was smart and aware of social and political issues. She was the only one who spoke, while the beautiful adult sister, Ginger, was like a fashion model. This strip ran from September 1, 1945, to September 22, 1956.
Torchy's Return in Heartbeats
On August 19, 1950, the Courier started an eight-page color comics section. Here, Ormes brought back her Torchy character in a new comic strip, Torchy in Heartbeats. This Torchy was a beautiful, strong, and independent woman who went on adventures looking for true love.
Ormes also showed her talent for fashion design. She created paper doll cutouts called Torchy Togs that went with the strip. The strip is well-known for its last part on September 18, 1954. In this story, Torchy and her doctor boyfriend faced racism and pollution. Ormes used Torchy in Heartbeats to talk about important issues of her time. She said she was "anti-war" and "anti-everything-that's-smelly." Torchy showed black women as confident, smart, and brave, which was different from how they were often shown in media back then.
Patty-Jo Dolls
In 1947, Ormes worked with the Terri Lee doll company to make a doll based on her Patty-Jo cartoon character. The Patty-Jo doll was ready for Christmas that year. It was the first American black doll to have many fancy outfits. Like in the cartoon, the doll looked like a real child. This was different from most dolls at the time, which were often mammy or Topsy-type dolls. The Patty-Jo dolls were popular with both black and white children.
In December 1949, Ormes's agreement with the Terri Lee company ended, and they stopped making the dolls. Today, Patty-Jo dolls are very special items that collectors want.
Impact and Important Messages
Jackie Ormes's main characters, like Torchy, were strong and independent women. They cared about social and political issues. They worked hard to reach their goals, even when things were tough. They didn't let social rules stop them and always moved on to the next adventure. Ormes once said, "I have never liked dreamy little women who can't hold their own." Her characters showed young black women strong role models for what they could become.
Ormes's heroines faced real-life challenges, not dragons or evil stepmothers. They dealt with things like overprotective aunts or dangers in new places. Even though Torchy Brown's career path was exciting, her story also showed real struggles. Torchy faced lies, unhelpful friends, racism, danger, and sadness. But no matter what, she always got through it. Ormes created women that her readers could believe in, support, and want to be like.
Ormes used her comics to talk about social and political issues, from race to environmental pollution. She was always involved in helping people. Her strong beliefs even led to an investigation by the FBI after World War II.
Later Life and Legacy
Jackie Ormes married Earl Ormes, an accountant, in 1931. They first moved to Salem, Ohio, but Jackie wasn't happy there. They later moved to Chicago. They had one child, Jacqueline, who sadly died at age three from a brain tumor. Jackie stayed married to Earl until he passed away in 1976.
She stopped drawing comics in 1956. However, she continued to create other art, like murals, still lifes, and portraits. She stopped only when rheumatoid arthritis (a condition that causes joint pain) made it too hard to draw. She helped her South Side Chicago community by volunteering to organize fashion shows and entertainment to raise money. She was also on the first board of directors for the DuSable Museum of African American History. Ormes loved collecting dolls and had 150 antique and modern dolls. She was active in a doll club in Chicago.
Jackie Ormes died from a stroke in Chicago on December 26, 1985. After her death, she was honored in the National Association of Black Journalists Hall of Fame in 2014. In 2018, she was also inducted into the Will Eisner Comic Industry Eisner Award Hall of Fame.
A Google Doodle on September 1, 2020, celebrated her amazing work and life.
See also
