There are many African American male cartoonists, however Black women in that artist profession have been few and far between. Jackie Ormes was one who emerged as one of the most talented and commercial cartoonists who fashioned amazing characters and ble
Ormes’ cartoons appeared in the Chicago Defender and in the Pittsburgh Courier, as well as other Sunday papers. She created such characters as Torchy Brown, Candy and Patty-Jo ‘n’ Ginger. Ormes’ work remained popular throughout the post-WWII era but her political ideology led to an FBI investigation of her.
In the compelling biography, Jackie Ormes%uFFFDThe First African American Woman Cartoonist, written by Nancy Goldstein, the author captures and puts into words Ormes’ artistic flair and the cartoonists innovative proclivities. Goldstein’s interest in Ormes came from one of the satirist’s famed creations, the Patty-Jo doll.
Ormes was born Zelda Mavin Jackson on August 1, 1911 in Pittsburgh, Pa. As a child, Ormes enjoyed drawing and was praised for her artistic abilities. After graduating from high school, Ormes moved to Pittsburgh where she worked for the Courier. Her first work was “A Dixie to Harlem” comic strip where character Torchy Brown was created. Patty-Jo ‘n’ Ginger was Jackie Ormes second cartoon strip.
No one ever knew why Ormes stopped drawing for the Courier in 1938. After a stay in Ohio, Ormes and her family moved to Chicago. World War II was going on, Richard Wright had just released his Native Son a few years earlier and Gordon Parks had described Chicago as a place of hunger and frustration, with thousands migrating from the South. In the spring of 1945, Ormes began writing the Social Whirl column for the Chicago Defender. Ormes’ newspaper cartooning ended in 1956 with cartoons depicting Patty-Jo supporting the bus boycott in Montgomery, Alabama.
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