Tag: Black History Month (page 1 of 2)

New Acquisition: Collection of Jackie Ormes and Black Press Materials Acquired

Torchy in Heartbeats by Jackie Ormes, Pittsburgh Courier, April 12,1952

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 27, 2023

Collection of Jackie Ormes and Black Press
Materials Acquired by Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum

COLUMBUS – The Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum has acquired a collection of materials documenting the life of pioneering Black cartoonist Zelda “Jackie” Ormes as well as sections of Black press newspapers amassed by collector and biographer Nancy Goldstein. Ormes was the first Black woman cartoonist with a nationally-distributed comic strip in the United States.

The collection includes rare eight-page color comic sections from the Pittsburgh Courier that include Jackie Ormes’s adventure strip Torchy in Heartbeats, as well as other strips centered around Black life and characters. Of major significance in the collection is an original Patty-Jo doll produced by the Terri Lee Company in the late 1940s, based on Jackie Ormes’s single panel cartoon Patty-Jo ‘n’ Ginger which ran from 1945-1956. The Patty-Jo doll became the first African-American doll to have an extensive upscale wardrobe, in contrast to prior creations that adhered to racist stereotypes.

Goldstein collected these materials while conducting research for her seminal book, Jackie Ormes: The First African American Woman Cartoonist (University of Michigan Press, 2008). Goldstein noted: “the collection is significant because it brings hard-to-find materials relating to Jackie Ormes’s life and work together in one place.” Other materials include Ormes’s FBI file and dozens of folders of Goldstein’s research materials, documents, interviews, and ephemera relating to Ormes’s life and work. “Some of the items could suggest new avenues for researchers, teachers, students, writers, and cartoonists. For instance, details about Ormes’s work in fundraising for the Urban League, housing, or the March of Dimes could inspire more exploration into Black women’s social activism of the era. Other information found in these materials could be a jumping off point for an in-depth history—or historical fiction or even a stage play—based on the fashionable mixed-race Sutherland Hotel where the Ormeses lived.”

Jenny Robb, Head Curator of Comics and Cartoon art said of the collection, “We are so excited to acquire this essential collection of materials related to comics trailblazer Zelda “Jackie” Ormes. There is so much interest in the work of Ormes, and we know this material will be in high-demand by researchers, educators, publishers, students and fans. This collection compliments our substantial holdings of work by Sam Milai, Ollie Harrington, and other cartoonists of the Black Press newspapers.”

To learn more about the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum and view the collections, visit cartoons.osu.edu. For press inquiries, contact mcgurk.17@osu.edu.

Pittsburgh Courier, August 4, 1951

Found in the Collection: E. Simms Campbell Letters

Elmer Simms Campbell was not only one of the first African American male cartoonists to be published in nationally syndicated magazines, but also created the popular Esquire magazine mascot, “Esky”, their cartoony moustachioed man of refinement. He maintained a steady high-standing among magazines like Esquire, Life, Judge and Playboy from 1933 all the way through his death in 1971, a rare thing for any cartoonist, and nearly unheard of in the 30s-50s for an African American. Campbell’s talent is undeniable and a clear indicator of his success, though taking a look at the themes of his most popular work is telling of why else this may have been possible.

Up until the Civil Rights Movement, Campbell’s work was entirely absent of African American characters. Instead, his cartooning style was largely dedicated to the salable trend of Good Girl Art, depictions of attractive and whimsical white women. Furthermore, he stuck to illustrating the lives of the white upper-class in general, completely concealing his own identity and economic standing.

Cuties was Campbell’s most popular feature, which we have a number of originals from at the Cartoon Library, many of which are gorgeous fully colored works like those seen below.

E. Simms Campbell original, from the International Museum of Cartoon Art Collection, The Ohio State University Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum

E. Simms Campbell original, from the International Museum of Cartoon Art Collection, The Ohio State University Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum (click to enlarge)

E. Simms Campbell original, from the International Museum of Cartoon Art Collection, The Ohio State University Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum (click to enlarge)

E. Simms Campbell original, from the International Museum of Cartoon Art Collection, The Ohio State University Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum (click to enlarge)

These originals, as well as a number of others at the Cartoon Library, are part of our International Museum of Cartoon Art Collection. However, it’s a number of items in the manuscript materials collection of cartoonist McGowan Miller (“Mac”) regarding E. Simms Campbell that delight us just as much. Miller and Campbell came to be great friends through their membership in the National Cartoonist Society (Campbell was one of very few African Americans in the NCS as well) and while working for the popular magazines at the time. In the late 1950s, Campbell and his wife went abroad to live in Switzerland for a stint, but the two friends kept up correspondence regularly.

Photo of Elmer Simms Campbell and McGowan Miller, which forms part of a scrapbook that Campbell sent McGowan in 1960. From the McGowan Miller Collection, The Ohio State University Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum (click to enlarge)

Photo of Elmer Simms Campbell and McGowan Miller, which forms part of a scrapbook that Campbell sent McGowan in 1960. From the McGowan Miller Collection, The Ohio State University Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum (click to enlarge)

McGowan Miller kept these letters from his old friend–many of which are humorously illustrated in the margins–and they now reside here at the Cartoon Library. Below are a few excerpts from one of our favorites from E. Simms Campbell in 1958, capturing the heart of the lifestyle he and his wife Vivian were leading during this thriving age of magazine cartooning. He writes of exploits with Cab Calloway, Dizzy Gillespie and others, partying late into the night and more. Other letters reveal his concerns over his daughters marriage to American photographer Gordon Parks, who was twice her age. Generally, they are full of soul and spirit, and embody the loving friendship between two men of different races, bound by comics and cartoons. The pages can be clicked to enlarge for reading.

ESCLetterdetail1

Detail of letter from Elmer Simms Campbell to McGowan Miller, 1958. From the McGowan Miller Collection, The Ohio State University Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum (click to enlarge)

Detail of letter from Elmer Simms Campbell to McGowan Miller, 1958. From the McGowan Miller Collection, The Ohio State University Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum (click to enlarge)

Detail of letter from Elmer Simms Campbell to McGowan Miller, 1958. From the McGowan Miller Collection, The Ohio State University Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum (click to enlarge)

Detail of letter from Elmer Simms Campbell to McGowan Miller, 1958. From the McGowan Miller Collection, The Ohio State University Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum (click to enlarge)

Detail of letter from Elmer Simms Campbell to McGowan Miller, 1958. From the McGowan Miller Collection, The Ohio State University Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum (click to enlarge)

Detail of letter from Elmer Simms Campbell to McGowan Miller, 1958. From the McGowan Miller Collection, The Ohio State University Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum (click to enlarge)

Detail of letter from Elmer Simms Campbell to McGowan Miller, 1958. From the McGowan Miller Collection, The Ohio State University Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum (click to enlarge)

Elmer Simms Campbell was inducted into the Society of Illustrators Hall of Fame in 2002, and you can read more about his life in a piece by our founding curator Lucy Shelton Caswell here.

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