Jackie Ormes

Readers of the Pittsburgh Courier received an unexpected treat in the comics section on May 1, 1937. It was the first appearance of Torchy Brown in Dixie to Harlem, a fictional character who left Mississippi to perform in Harlem’s famed Cotton Club.  

Not content to simply hint at the social issues Torchy Brown faced, Ormes contributed articles and social commentary in The Chicago Defender. Her joy of drawing found its way into her work with the Defender. By 1945 she had created a new character in Candy. Candy was a housemaid, and Ormes used Candy’s humorous attitude to voice her own thoughts.

By the end of 1945, Ormes returned to the Courier to create the adventures of two black sisters in Patty-Jo ’n’ Ginger. This ran for eleven years. It became so popular that she was approached by the Terri Lee doll company to license a doll based on Patty-Jo just in time to reach Christmas buyers’ hands.  

During this time, Ormes created Torchy in Heartbeats, which saw the return of her character Torchy. Only in this carnation, Torchy’s adventures centered on finding a mate.

In 1956, after her run on Patty-Jo ’n’ Ginger had finished, Ormes ended her career as a cartoonist, although she never stopped producing artwork. Ormes passed away in 1985. In 2014, she was inducted into the National Association of Black Journalists Hall of Fame and the Eisner Award Hall of Fame in 2018.

Jackie Ormes (August 1, 1911 – December 26, 1985)