# Early 19th century comic strip character "The Yellow Kid" a racist portrayal of Asians... What? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 27, 2015, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/early-19th-century-comic-strip-character-the-yellow-kid-a-racist-portrayal-of-asians-what/723590 "2015-06-27T02:06:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2018, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/early-19th-century-comic-strip-character-the-yellow-kid-a-racist-portrayal-of-asians-what/723590/61 "2018-12-18T21:04:37Z")
“Google enhanced?” Nope. “Wikipedia enhanced because it’s quick and easy to find and tells all that I thought was needed for my point?” Guilty, but I also come at this as older than you (the earliest photos of my grandfather, born in 1884, show him in dresses), a fan of domestic history, and mentally stuck in the late 19th and early 20th. When I’m not stuck in the 14th, though I’m still not a zombie. Shit, I think I have (somewhere) a shot of my dad (1920) in one, though it might be a christening gown. Breeching generally took place between two and eight. The Kid is in that range. “The Yellow kid had a lot of agency and seemed well old enough to be toilet trained.” I agree, and breeching would have probably taken place before a child entered school, but he is a character in a cartoon and the dress/nightshirt/long sweater left a lot of space for his snarky dialogue. Was he Asian? With that sassy mouth and in that neighborhood? Not likely for very long. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2018, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/early-19th-century-comic-strip-character-the-yellow-kid-a-racist-portrayal-of-asians-what/723590/62 "2018-12-18T21:25:11Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > So–once more into the breech? Don’t go there! This pseudo-autobiography is nine volumes long and is so non-linear that he isn’t even born until Volume 3! :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2018, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/early-19th-century-comic-strip-character-the-yellow-kid-a-racist-portrayal-of-asians-what/723590/63 "2018-12-18T22:11:53Z")
This thread seems to be a semi-zombie, but I feel that it’s worth noting that the **shirt** is yellow. The skin is not yellow. Asian people (even if they were actually yellow in color - which they aren’t) do not wear predominately yellow clothing, nor do they turn their clothing yellow by proximity. If you see someone in a yellow shirt, unless you are in Asia or a heavily Asian neighborhood, they are probably not Asian. More importantly, the color of their shirt is not a viable way of determining their ancestry. ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2018, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/early-19th-century-comic-strip-character-the-yellow-kid-a-racist-portrayal-of-asians-what/723590/64 "2018-12-18T22:14:35Z")
> **[Mid 19th Century Boy's clothes](https://www.pinterest.com/timelytresses/mid-19th-century-boys-clothes/)** > > Apr 13, 2014 - Explore Dannielle Hyatt Perry's board "Mid 19th Century Boy's clothes", followed by 120 people on Pinterest. See more ideas about boy outfits, boys, 19th century. [https://www.google.com/search?q=little+boys+in+the+19th+century&rlz=1C1GGRV\_enUS751US751&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj694nMsqrfAhVkkuAKHR8WBZIQ\_AUIDigB&biw=1024&bih=503](https://www.google.com/search?q=little+boys+in+the+19th+century&rlz=1C1GGRV_enUS751US751&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj694nMsqrfAhVkkuAKHR8WBZIQ_AUIDigB&biw=1024&bih=503) [https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fi.pinimg.com%2F236x%2Fdd%2Fd5%2Fa7%2Fddd5a744451f119128dc9b826fd02a85--young-boys-a-young.jpg&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pinterest.com%2Ftimelytresses%2Fmid-19th-century-boys-clothes%2F&docid=CIavFRSxVQvnKM&tbnid=B3dRdvFE1MZygM%3A&vet=10ahUKEwjKhKPOsqrfAhWtmOAKHf0fB-sQMwiVAShhMGE..i&w=236&h=323&bih=503&biw=1024&q=little%20boys%20in%20the%2019th%20century&ved=0ahUKEwjKhKPOsqrfAhWtmOAKHf0fB-sQMwiVAShhMGE&iact=mrc&uact=8](https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fi.pinimg.com%2F236x%2Fdd%2Fd5%2Fa7%2Fddd5a744451f119128dc9b826fd02a85--young-boys-a-young.jpg&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pinterest.com%2Ftimelytresses%2Fmid-19th-century-boys-clothes%2F&docid=CIavFRSxVQvnKM&tbnid=B3dRdvFE1MZygM%3A&vet=10ahUKEwjKhKPOsqrfAhWtmOAKHf0fB-sQMwiVAShhMGE..i&w=236&h=323&bih=503&biw=1024&q=little%20boys%20in%20the%2019th%20century&ved=0ahUKEwjKhKPOsqrfAhWtmOAKHf0fB-sQMwiVAShhMGE&iact=mrc&uact=8) The second is my own search. It strains credibility to say that boys under 8 were in frocks until 100 years ago or so. I cannot imagine life on a farm as a boy in a dress for one thing. Children were in school from earlier than 8. Are there classroom photos with all dresses on the boys? ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2018, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/early-19th-century-comic-strip-character-the-yellow-kid-a-racist-portrayal-of-asians-what/723590/65 "2018-12-18T22:15:42Z")
> [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > This thread seems to be a semi-zombie, but I feel that it’s worth noting that the **shirt** is yellow. The skin is not yellow. Asian people (even if they were actually yellow in color - which they aren’t) do not wear predominately yellow clothing, nor do they turn their clothing yellow by proximity. > > If you see someone in a yellow shirt, unless you are in Asia or a heavily Asian neighborhood, they are probably not Asian. More importantly, the color of their shirt is not a viable way of determining their ancestry. I think you might be overthinking it. ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2018, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/early-19th-century-comic-strip-character-the-yellow-kid-a-racist-portrayal-of-asians-what/723590/66 "2018-12-18T22:26:23Z")
> **[Ernest Hemingway's Guns](https://gardenandgun.com/slideshow/ernest-hemingways-guns/1/)** > > Excerpts and photos from the book Hemingway's Guns: The Sporting Arms of Ernest Hemingway, by Silvio Calabi, Steve Helsley, and Roger Sanger Ernest Hemingway is a famous person who is pictured in a dress as an infant, and we all may remember. This picture is EH aged 5 though. No frock. Can anyone provide a cite for EH over the age of 4 in a dress? ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2018, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/early-19th-century-comic-strip-character-the-yellow-kid-a-racist-portrayal-of-asians-what/723590/67 "2018-12-18T22:32:43Z")
> [@dropzone](#): > > “Google enhanced?” Nope. “Wikipedia enhanced because it’s quick and easy to find and tells all that I thought was needed for my point?” Guilty, but I also come at this as older than you (the earliest photos of my grandfather, born in 1884, show him in dresses), a fan of domestic history, and mentally stuck in the late 19th and early 20th. When I’m not stuck in the 14th, though I’m still not a zombie. Shit, I think I have (somewhere) a shot of my dad (1920) in one, though it might be a christening gown. > > Breeching generally took place between two and eight. The Kid is in that range. “The Yellow kid had a lot of agency and seemed well old enough to be toilet trained.” I agree, and breeching would have probably taken place before a child entered school, but he is a character in a cartoon and the dress/nightshirt/long sweater left a lot of space for his snarky dialogue. Was he Asian? With that sassy mouth and in that neighborhood? Not likely for very long. I meant the thread’s a zombie, not you. You’re A OK. Toilet training up to aged 8? One possibility is that the kid not being breeched was absurd (in 1895), and it would be taken as a part of the “joke” by the contemp audience. Here is a search for “19th century new york urchins” [https://www.google.com/search?q=new+york+urchins+19+century&rlz=1C1GGRV\_enUS751US751&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwicjpyfuKrfAhXvQ98KHfv1BTAQ\_AUIDigB&biw=1024&bih=503](https://www.google.com/search?q=new+york+urchins+19+century&rlz=1C1GGRV_enUS751US751&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwicjpyfuKrfAhXvQ98KHfv1BTAQ_AUIDigB&biw=1024&bih=503) ---
**Author:** ![Gerald\_II](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/43a26b/32.png) [@Gerald\_II](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gerald_II)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2018, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/early-19th-century-comic-strip-character-the-yellow-kid-a-racist-portrayal-of-asians-what/723590/68 "2018-12-18T22:59:59Z")
I also thought The Yellow Kid was supposed to be Chinese. It wasn’t until later that I found out his name was Mickey Dugan, and that he was supposed to be Irish. But that was way before the article in the OP. I would expect the writer of the original article to know that considering his background. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2018, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/early-19th-century-comic-strip-character-the-yellow-kid-a-racist-portrayal-of-asians-what/723590/69 "2018-12-18T23:37:32Z")
> [@drad\_dog](#): > > I think you might be overthinking it. You and I are BOTH over thinking it! :o > [@drad\_dog](#): > > It strains credibility to say that boys under 8 were in frocks until 100 years ago or so. Age 8 is obviously an outlier. Three or 4 is more likely. The boys in your photos look older than that. > [@](#): > > Children were in school from earlier than 8. Are there classroom photos with all dresses on the boys? I would think that, much like schools today, being housebroken was required before starting school, and if not peer pressure would fix that right up. I lost interest in this topic yesterday. Can we agree to disagree? ETA: That was a lie. I lost interest shortly after starting to type my first post. ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2018, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/early-19th-century-comic-strip-character-the-yellow-kid-a-racist-portrayal-of-asians-what/723590/70 "2018-12-18T23:46:26Z")
> [@dropzone](#): > > You and I are BOTH over thinking it! :o > > Age 8 is obviously an outlier. Three or 4 is more likely. The boys in your photos look older than that. > > I would think that, much like schools today, being housebroken was required before starting school, and if not peer pressure would fix that right up. > > I lost interest in this topic yesterday. Can we agree to disagree? > > ETA: That was a lie. I lost interest shortly after starting to type my first post. OK with me, man. I just get going down some road… Can you imagine the peer pressure on a little new york street kid though? I’m thinking the joke (of being overage for a frock) was built in to the strip but we don’t have the context now. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2018, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/early-19th-century-comic-strip-character-the-yellow-kid-a-racist-portrayal-of-asians-what/723590/71 "2018-12-19T01:27:42Z")
> [@drad\_dog](#): > > Can you imagine the peer pressure on a little new york street kid though? I’m thinking the joke (of being overage for a frock) was built in to the strip but we don’t have the context now. How about Outcault’s other hit, [Buster Brown](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buster_Brown). As one of Wikipedia’s references says, “Making its first appearance in 1902, Buster Brown was Richard F. Outcault’s follow-up to his breakthrough strip, Hogan’s Alley, starring the Yellow Kid. Instead of terrorizing the mean streets of a New York City slum, as the Kid did, Buster and Tige raised hell on Park Avenue. Imagine Calvin & Hobbes, only with Hobbes prone to biting and Calvin dressed in a Little Lord Fauntleroy getup that was as liable to get him beat up a century ago as it would be now.” Wait a sec, that sounds familiar. (scrolling through the references) Sho’ nuff, I’m a freakin’ [AUTHORITY!](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2839/whatever-happened-to-buster-brown-shoes/) Bow before me! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![DrCube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a3d4f5/32.png) [@DrCube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrCube)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2018, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/early-19th-century-comic-strip-character-the-yellow-kid-a-racist-portrayal-of-asians-what/723590/72 "2018-12-19T18:05:45Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > [Here’s a link](http://people.virginia.edu/~mmw3v/html/ykid/images/centennial/chinese_34LG.jpg)to the illustration of the Kid pretending to be Chinese. This one is great. I love the advertisements on the side of the building: > [@](#): > > Be sure to get the “Rediculous” dress stay - It makes your waist 1 foot smaller - And you are a sight - What you want is to be uncomfortable ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2018, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/early-19th-century-comic-strip-character-the-yellow-kid-a-racist-portrayal-of-asians-what/723590/73 "2018-12-19T21:42:00Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > [Here’s a link](http://people.virginia.edu/~mmw3v/html/ykid/images/centennial/chinese_34LG.jpg)to the illustration of the Kid pretending to be Chinese. Wow. David Lo Pan goes back _that_ far? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/early-19th-century-comic-strip-character-the-yellow-kid-a-racist-portrayal-of-asians-what/723590.md?page=3)