Palmer Cox

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Palmer Cox

The Eastman Kodak Brownie camera

Palmer Cox (1840-1924) was born in Canada-Granby, Quebec, son of Michael Cox and Sarah Miller, and became a carpenter and car builder. He moved to San Francisco via Panama as a railroad contractor. He lived in San Francisco from 1863-1875. In 1874 he began to formally study drawing and contribute illustrated stories to such publications as Golden Era and Alta California.

After 1875 lived in New York (Pine View House, East Quogue, Long Island).

His Brownie stories appeared in St. Nicholas and the Ladies' Home Journal best known are his series of humorous verse cartoons about the mischievous but kind-hearted Brownies.

His cartoons were published in several books, such as The Brownies, Their Book (1887).

Palmer Cox's Brownie dolls these paper dolls were a premium in packages of Lion Coffee, there are 25 different standing Brownie Lion Coffee dolls.

Brownie Books;

The Brownies, Their Book - 1887

Another Brownie Book - 1890

The Brownies at Home - 1893

The Brownies Around the World - 1894

Palmer Coxs Brownies - 1894

The Brownies Through the Union - 1895

Brownie year book - 1895

The Brownies Abroad - 1899

Brownies and the Farmer - 1902

The Brownies in the Philippines- 1904

The Brownie Primer - 1906

Christmas Pudding and other Brownie stories-1906

The Brownie Clown in Brownie Town - 1908

The Brownies latest adventures - 1910

The Amazing Adventures of Forest People - 1913 (Russian)

The Brownies Many More Nights - 1918

The Brownies and Prince Florimel - 1925

The Brownies in Fairyland - 1925

Over a hundred years ago Palmer Cox, a tall, rugged and warm-hearted man, created characters based on the mythological brownie. He dressed them in costumes of different nationalities and professions and told of their helpful activities in illustration and verse for children's books and magazines. His brownie character was popular for thirty years. It was the first character to be copyrighted and licensed to advertise a variety of merchandise including Ivory Soap and the Brownie Camera.

Among the earliest comic strip success stories was Palmer Cox and his cartoon creation, The Brownies. These little elf-like creatures soon began turning up in advertisements for various products like Ivory soap and Kodak cameras.

Cox's Brownies were imitated more often than he licensed them. Cox did not give permission for a Brownie brand soda, maple syrup or ice cream. A figural carpet was produced in the mid-1890s and Brownie paper dolls (with Cox's copyright) could be found inside packages of Lion Coffee during the same period. However, several other coffee companies produced unauthorized doll inserts for their brands.

"Brownieland" was the word Cox used to refer to his art studio.