author
Bertha Upton
1849–1912
A late-Victorian children's writer best known for the hugely popular Golliwogg books, created in collaboration with her daughter, illustrator Florence K. Upton. Their stories were once nursery favorites on both sides of the Atlantic and now sit in a more complicated place in children's literature history.
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About the author
Born in London in 1849, Bertha Upton became known as a British writer of children's books. She worked closely with her daughter, Florence K. Upton, and together they produced a series of picture books that found a wide audience in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Their best-known collaboration began with The Adventures of Two Dutch Dolls and a Golliwogg in 1895, followed by many more Golliwogg stories over the next several years. Bertha wrote the text while Florence supplied the illustrations, and the books became especially popular with young readers of their time.
Today, her work is remembered both for its importance in the history of illustrated children's books and for the controversy surrounding the Golliwogg character, which is now widely recognized as racist. Bertha Upton died on July 10, 1912.