Sketches & Notebook of Alison Douglas Tod, mid 20th century
Scope and Contents
This file contains illustrations in various stages of development: pencil sketches, coloured pencils, and paint. The drawings all pertain to stories written by Alison Douglas Tod. There are also some written notes concerning a story about the character Sally Ann. The drawings include what was known as a "golliwog", a character created in 1895 by Florence Kate Upton that was popular until the 1960s-70s but was later perceived as a racist caricature.
Dates
- Creation: mid 20th century
Creator
- Tod, Alison Douglas, fl 1940-1949 (Children's book illustrator and author) (Illustrator, Person)
Conditions Governing Access
Open. Please contact the repository in advance.
Biographical / Historical
Based on her childhood minstrel doll, American author Florence Kate Upton created the golliwog as a character in her book The Adventures of Two Dutch Dolls. The features include wild hair, dark skin, large, white-rimmed eyes, and clown lips. It was usually depicted as male, dressed in bow tie, jacket, and trousers. Upton did not copyright the image and it subsequently entered public domain allowing other authors and illustrators to use the character in their own stories. Through this, the personality of the golliwog changed subtly throughout the early twentieth century. While Upton's golliwog was silly and gallant - albeit unsightly – they became unkind and mean-spirited. In the racial conflicts of the 1960s, protesters cited the golliwog as insensitive, which began its slow descent in popularity as a children’s book character.
Extent
1 file
Creator
- Tod, Alison Douglas, fl 1940-1949 (Children's book illustrator and author) (Illustrator, Person)
Repository Details
Part of the University of Edinburgh Library Heritage Collections Repository
Centre for Research Collections
University of Edinburgh Main Library
George Square
Edinburgh EH8 9LJ Scotland
+44(0)131 650 8379
heritagecollections@ed.ac.uk