Bessie Mae Kelley (fl. 1920s) was an early American animator. Her work is believed to be the earliest surviving hand-drawn animation drawn and directed by a woman.[1][2]
Kelley began her career in animation late in 1917, working her way up through the ranks, cleaning cels and assistant animating, before quickly animating at Bray Studios.[citation needed] She contributed animation to Fleischer Studios' Koko the Clown series and others,[citation needed] before directing and animating short films. These included Gasoline Alley (1920) and Flower Fairies (1921) and A Merry Christmas (1922) in Chicago. She also contributed character designs and animations to Paul Terry's "Aesop’s Fables" series.[1][3] She collaborated with Terry in drawing a mouse couple named Milton and Mary, which predated the creation of Mickey and Minnie Mouse.[2]
Kelley's work remained largely unknown until her collection was rediscovered and two of her films were restored by animation historian Mindy Johnson in 2022. Johnson discovered Kelley in a series of images of male animators from the early 1920s. Other historians had previously assumed her to be a secretary or cleaning woman.[1]
References edit
- ^ a b c Barnes, Brooks (2022-12-13). "Reclaiming a Place in Animation History for a Female Pioneer". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-12-15.
- ^ a b Mehta, Jonaki (24 December 2022). "Her work as a pioneering animator was lost to history — until now". National Public Radio, WNYC. Retrieved 25 December 2022.
- ^ Dorning, Courtney; Mehta, Jonaki (19 December 2022). "Bessie Mae Kelley is one of the earliest known women to hand-draw animated films". NPR. Retrieved 25 December 2022.
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