EOTO #2: Jackie Ormes

 In an industry run by men, it was often difficult to find a female cartoonist, let alone a black, female cartoonist. But that all changed when Jackie Ormes came to the scene. With her beautifully drawn characters and inclusion of left-wing ideologies, Ormes became the first ever syndicated black female cartoonist.

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Gayle Ormes Hawthorne

Jackie Ormes, born Zelda Malvin Jackson was born on August 1, 1911 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Ormes and her family moved to Monongahela, a small town near Pittsburgh after her mother remarried a couple years after her father died. It was then Ormes started to draw, taking on the position as editor of her high school yearbook and drawing her teachers and classmates. 

She wrote a letter to the editor of the Pittsburgh Courier, an African-American weekly newspaper. The editor wrote back and Ormes received her first writing assignment. She continued to write for the paper and became a proofreader. Ormes continued her journalistic work as a freelance writer and even an editor.

Years later, Ormes created her first comic strip, Torchy Brown in Dixie to Harlem. The comic tells the story of Torchy Brown, a singer who gained fame from singing in the Cotton Club and moved to New York City from Mississippi. 

Torchy Brown in Dixie to Harlem, Pittsburgh Courier

It appeared in the Pittsburgh Courier in May 1937 and ran until April 1938. The comic reflected the Great Migration which occurred during the 1960s-70s where millions of African Americans moved from the south to the north, midwest and west of the United States. 

Due to the success of Torchy Brown, Jackie Ormes became the first ever black woman to create a nationally appearing comic strip.

After moving to Chicago in 1942, Ormes began writing articles and social columns for the Chicago Defender. This newspaper was known as one the leading African American newspapers in the country. While at the Chicago Defender, Ormes created the comic strip Candy about a funny housemaid. Candy ran for about four months in 1945. 

In 1945, Ormes created her most popular comic strip in the Pittsburgh Courier called Patty-Jo 'n' Ginger. This single panel cartoon ran for 11 years and featured two socially-conscious sisters who commented on social issues at the time. 

Jackie Ormes, Patty-Jo 'n' Ginger. This comic was
released after Emmett Till's murder

One of those issues brought up in Patty-Jo 'n' Ginger was the murder of Emmett Till. Through a satirical way, Ormes showed how ridiculous the cause of Emmett Till's murder was. 

Patty-Jo 'n' Ginger led to the creation of Patty-Jo dolls in 1947. These dolls were the first ever black dolls to have a versatile wardrobe. Different than the black dolls being sold, the Patty-Jo doll replicated a child.

Patty-Jo doll

The Pittsburgh Courier began to print an in-color comic series which led to Ormes bringing Torchy Brown back into the spotlight. Torchy Brown in Heartbeats was a comic strip featuring the beautifully drawn and independent character on her journey to find true love. 

The comic tackles issues such as racism and environmental issues that specifically affect African American neighborhoods. Ormes even displayed her love for fashion in this comic which led to paper dolls called Torchy Togs. 

Jackie Ormes

Ormes included her left-wing ideologies in her comics. In an interview, she even says she is "anti-war." She also drew her characters in a different way than how black people were being drawn at the time. 

Caricatures were a big thing during that time and artists drew black people in that way, with over-exaggerated features. But Jackie Ormes did not. She drew her characters that depicted black women as beautiful. 

Jackie Ormes was married to Earl Ormes and they had one child together a daughter named Jaqueline. Unfortunately, their daughter died at the age of three due to a brain tumor. Her drawing and interest in fashion continued until her death in 1985. 

She was awarded Eisner Award in 2018 and inducted into the National Association of Black Journalists Hall of Fame in 2014.