Meet Palmer Cox and His Brownies

Move over, Smurfs!  Take a hike, Keebler Elves!  Hit the road, California Raisins!  The Brownies created by Palmer Cox are much higher on the cuteness scale, at least in my opinion.  Created by Canadian artist Palmer Cox around the 1880's, the Brownies were a comical group of little elfin characters, all male, that depicted ethnic types such as a Chinese fellow or an Indian; various occupations such as a policeman, sailor, or jockey; and other little characters such as band-members and their instruments. 

 Here's Palmer Cox, looking like so many other gentlemen you find on cabinet cards of the era:

 

 

The story goes that Palmer Cox was inspired by his mother's Scottish fairy tales she told him as a child, full of fairies, goblins and other magical creatures.  He began writing about his own little band of merry mischief makers, who would spring into action while mortals slept, often doing good deeds but sometimes getting themselves into trouble along the way.

One of many Brownie books:

 

 

Unbelievably cute!  A lineup of Brownie figures:

 

 

Palmer Cox's Brownies  appeared in humorous books with titles such as "The Brownies Abroad", "The Brownies in Fairyland" and even "The Brownies in the Philippines".  They also appeared in comic strip form in magazines, most notably in the Ladies' Home Journal beginning in the 1880's, when their popularity grew and grew.

 This Brownie, named the Volunteer, was made into a wooden toy:

 

 

Now you know how the Kodak Brownie Camera got its name:

 

Brownies were used for advertising purposes besides the popular Brownie Cameras.  Palmer Cox was considered a pioneer in the area of licensed merchandise.  The Brownies endorsed many products, and made Mr. Cox a fortune.

 

 

Hand painted Brownie salt and pepper shakers:

 

 

From my collection, a small plate:

 

 

Also from my collection, a cute little creamer:

 

 

And the back of the creamer, a charming Brownie motto:

 

 

The Brownies were so popular that one of their books sold over a million copies, which was unheard of at the time.  There was even a stage play about the Brownies that ran for five years!

Although Palmer Cox moved to the United States for some time, living in both San Fransisco and New York, he built a 17 room mansion he named "Brownie Castle" in Grandby, Quebec, with the fortune he made from his illustrations.  He lived till the ripe old age of 84, and even had a Brownie on his tombstone!

Keep your eyes open for Palmer Cox's Brownies.  They pop up in the strangest places.  Wouldn't you like to have a little Brownie or two in your life?

Mitzi

Comments

[laurie mapgie ethel]

My eyes are on the lookout. I think I have a spoon in my collection with a brownie..will have to double check. Good info!

[Mitzi Curi]

Laurie,

I have a feeling that Brownies dance around your magical decorations in the middle of the night! You should set up a camera to capture them....

Mitzi

[sue]

Well, Mitzi, you've done it again! I never knew that the Brownies were also connected to the camera. Talk about brilliant product placement to entice children to embrace photography. In all my travels, I have never stumbled upon a Brownie in any form but chocolate. Did they have anything to do with my favorite treat?

[Marina]

Oh I just love your little plate and that lineup of Brownies. I never knew about them before. Now I'm most certaintly on the lookout for my own Brownie! I love coming to your site to learn new things!

[Mitzi Curi]

Hi Sue,

Wow, thats a good question! Ill look into it! Now Im starting to wonder if the Girl Scouts younger chapter, the Brownies, have a link to Palmer Coxs characters.

Mitzi

[Mitzi Curi]

Marina,

Now that you are aware of them, I know youll come across a Brownie book or other item. I just got back from an antique mall and walked by a Brownie book that was sitting on a table (no digging around was necessary)!

Mitzi

[Lily]

Wow! This is awesome! How do you find such things?

[Esther Moriarty]

So cute -- kind of Hummel-esque.

[Glenn Kemp]

Mitzi.......are you aware the salt shakers were made by Mt. Washington Glass Co. around 1894-96...the glass was called Napoli...what makes it quite unique is the decoration and Brownies are always on the inside of the vessel.......all Napoli glass with Palmer Cox brownies is quite rare and expensive today..besides the shakers, the brownies were put on cups,biscuits jars, sweet meats, plates, and some vases....regards, Glenn

[Mitzi Curi]

Hi Glenn,

No, I did not know the details of the Brownie salt shakers! Im so glad you took the time to share the information with me. I know the Mt. Washington Glass Co. made some beautiful and highly prized glassware. You must be a collector and/or dealer of fine glassware, yes? Im so pleased you stumbled upon my little blog!

Mitzi

[Glenn]

Hi Mitzi.....stumbled on to your web site after Googling Palmer Cox....interesting bio of the gentleman ...and had no idea the extent of the 'Brownie" craze....he seems to be in the same children book genre as Kate Greenaway......not a glass dealer, just a collector...by the way, your shaker brownies are identical to my pair...same decoration...druumer and one strutting.....best, Glenn

[Mitzi Curi]

Hi Glenn,

Thanks for letting me know how you found my blog! I hope you will visit again some time. I have an interest in illustrators of childrens books, and Im planning to do a blog post about Maud Humphrey in the near future. I happened to attend an auction of a woman who had a huge collection of Maud Humphrey illustrations.

Mitzi

[Wendy Custer]

Mitzi,
I have a large collection of Brownie Paper dolls from the Lion Coffee co. How can I find out what their value is?
Wendy

[Mitzi Curi]

Hi Wendy!

I often go right to eBay and look under "completed auctions" to see what similar items have sold for recently. Hopefully this link will take you there: http://www.ebay.com/csc/i.html?_sacat=0&_from=R40&_nkw=palmer+cox+paper+dolls&LH_Complete=1&rt=nc

I found Brownie paper dolls from Lion Coffee ranging that sold from $15 to $110! Your collection is quite valuable if the paper is in good condition!

Mitzi

[snowtx@aol.com]

I have a brownie cup and saucer - any interest in purchasing? Live in Texas and have lots of antiques from parents...thanks for taking time to answer - Mary

[John Webb]

Nice page, thank you very much!
My 4yo loves the Brownie book (Dover Pub.) that her grandmother got for her.

[Kriss Lumsden]

I just found a silver plated chocolate basket completely engraved with brownies all over it at the Goodwill store!! I knew immediately it was a "find". I love them!