The Delightful and Groundbreaking Comics of Jackie Ormes

Jackie Ormes was the first Black American woman to draw a syndicated comic strip. Still, you might never have heard of her because those strips ran in Black newspapers, which existed in most large cities and covered stories that the bigger newspapers ignored. They also syndicated material among themselves nationwide. Jackie Ormes was still in high school when she went to work as a journalist in Pittsburgh. In 1937, her comic strip Torchy Brown from Dixie to Harlem debuted in the Pittsburgh Courier. Torchy Brown was a sexy character modeled after Ormes herself, and somewhat after her sister who was a torch singer. Torchy was a teenager, smart while still a bit naive, who upended Black stereotypes. The readership loved her.

During World War II, Ormes produced Candy, a one-panel comic about a maid who was much more savvy than her white employer. In 1946, she debuted her most popular comic, Patty Jo ‘n’ Ginger, about a precocious little girl in the care of her older sister, who didn't hold back her opinions on how Black people were treated. In 1950, Ormes revived Torchy Brown, this time older and wiser, in Torchy Brown Heartbeats, which came with a paper doll. Jackie Ormes also designed a doll resembling the Patty Jo character, because Black dolls available at the time were horribly stereotyped. An original Patty Jo doll now fetches big bucks.  

As Black newspapers became rare after the Civil Rights movement, Black comic artists, and especially Black women artists, became rare, too. Those who draw look up to Jackie Ormes as an inspiration. Read about Ormes' life and see her comics at Messy Nessy Chic.