Bertha Upton
Bertha Upton was a British writer born in 1849 in London, who significantly contributed to children's literature alongside her daughter, artist Florence Upton. Together, they created the character of the Golliwogg, inspired by a black rag doll, leading to a series of popular books that chronicled the character's adventures with wooden Dutch dolls. The first book, *The Adventures of Two Dutch Dolls—And a "Golliwogg,"* was published in 1895 and gained immense popularity despite the character's grotesque portrayal. However, the Golliwogg's legacy has become controversial, as later adaptations and caricatures veered towards racial stereotypes, similar to those criticized in the portrayal of other characters like Little Black Sambo. Following the death of her husband in 1889, Bertha turned to writing as a means of supporting her family, and she and Florence produced several additional titles until 1909. The Golliwogg's transformation from a heroic figure in their stories to a symbol of racial caricature highlights the complexities of cultural representation in literature. Bertha Upton passed away in 1912, leaving a mixed legacy that continues to spark discussions about race and representation in children's literature.
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Bertha Upton
- Born: 1849
- Birthplace: London, England
- Died: July 10, 1912
Biography
Writer Bertha Upton and her artist daughter Florence Upton occupy a controversial place in the history of children’s literature as the creators of a series of books about the Golliwogg. Inspired originally by a old, battered, black rag doll, the Golliwogg became the extremely popular hero of a series of books chronicling his adventures with five wooden Dutch dolls in adventures around the world. The Golliwogg’s place in literary history has been tarnished by later black caricatures of the character that have raised objections similar to those leveled at the American caricature of Little Black Sambo.
Bertha Upton was born Bertha Hudson in London in 1849 and lived there until 1870, when she moved to New York to marry Thomas Harborough Upton, an immigrant from Great Britain. Bertha and the couple’s four children found themselves in financial difficulty when Thomas died in 1889. Bertha and her daughter Florence turned to writing and illustrating, respectively, to help provide an income for the family.
The Golliwogg was created during the family’s visit to London, where Florence used a black rag doll, which she named the Golliwogg, and several other wooden female dolls as the inspiration for her drawings. Bertha wrote the verse text for the book, which was published in London in 1895 as The Adventures of Two Dutch Dolls—And a “Golliwogg”. The book became immensely popular despite the fact that the Golliwogg was a rather grotesque and unlikely hero.
After the publication of the second Golliwogg book, The Golliwogg’s Bicycle Club, the Uptons ventured away from the series, but readers clamored for more of Golliwogg. The mother and daughter went on to publish additional books in the series, all in verse, ending with The Golliwogg in the African Jungle in 1909. Bertha Upton died in 1912.
Spin-offs from the series tainted the nature of the Uptons’ original creation. Perhaps the most benign of the derived creations was French composer Claude Debussy’s charming piano piece, “Golliwog’s Cakewalk,” but the Golliwogg also began to appear in a variety of black caricatures (none of which were controlled by the Uptons) on postcards, in books by other authors, and on a host of commercial products. Thus, a character who started as a noble and heroic figure descended to become a racist stereotype.