Disney Rejection Letter, 1938

This letter originally belonged to my grandmother. After she passed away we discovered it and were surprised at how well it was preserved for being nearly 70 years old.

The letter speaks for itself and it remarkable to note how times have changed since then. (or haven't?)

My e-mail is at the bottom of this page if you're interested to know more: kevinburg.com/work/

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Comments

heather_mcnabb says:

Thank you so much for posting this!
Posted 30 months ago. ( permalink )

tkcom says:

Does anyone know who signed the letter?
Posted 30 months ago. ( permalink )

C. D. Ford says:

hey ford is my last name too. that makes me feel extra bad for your grandma.
Posted 30 months ago. ( permalink )

•phoenix• says:

Thanks for sharing this!
Posted 30 months ago. ( permalink )

michaeljamespinto says:

God bless your grandma! By the way I just wanted to let you know that I blogged this item:

www.fanboy.com/2007/06/sexist_disney_rejectio n_letter_cir...
Posted 30 months ago. ( permalink )

sigmaman says:

Simply amazing.
Posted 30 months ago. ( permalink )

Davezilla was taken says:

Scary!
Posted 30 months ago. ( permalink )

{Pamphile} says:

Unbelievable. What great stationary!
Posted 30 months ago. ( permalink )

twoluvcats says:

Amazing! Thank you for sharing this.

I blogged it as well.
Posted 30 months ago. ( permalink )

someofmyorange [deleted] says:

I love how the witch is next to the signature.

--
Seen on boingboing.net (?)
Posted 30 months ago. ( permalink )

ebrandell says:

ouch!
Posted 30 months ago. ( permalink )

deadmetrix says:

Nice observation, someofmyorange.

I love the stationary as well.
Posted 30 months ago. ( permalink )

Wishbook says:

How strange that the author oscillates between the use of "women" and "girls" to refer to female applicants.

The stationery is cool, though. I'm happy you got to scan it and share it.
Posted 30 months ago. ( permalink )

RobertFrancis says:

Reminds me of some "Psychology" books I have from the same time period. The world sure has changed, and I'd say for the better.
Posted 30 months ago. ( permalink )

no1ofcons says:

Amazing. Thanks so much for sharing this.
Posted 30 months ago. ( permalink )

happysteve says:

In all fairness, their health plan did not provide cootie shots. :)
Posted 30 months ago. ( permalink )

aron_not_aaron says:

Man, that makes me so sad.

I'm very glad though to hear she was eventually able to work in the actual animation, since women were usually dumped into the ink/paint dept.
Posted 30 months ago. ( permalink )

gilad seliktar says:

Thanks for sharing this.
Posted 30 months ago. ( permalink )

alex loves everything says:

Wow, that is just amazing.
Posted 30 months ago. ( permalink )

asciident says:

Thanks for sharing this!
Posted 30 months ago. ( permalink )

eBelinda says:

I guess the seven dwarfs represent those who made up the company policy . . . ?
Posted 30 months ago. ( permalink )

alphac2005 says:

A great piece of history. Proof positive that ignorance can be changed over time.
Posted 30 months ago. ( permalink )

annulla says:

A remarkable letter. Thanks for sharing it with us.
Posted 30 months ago. ( permalink )

Ariadna Vallejo P [deleted] says:

Thank u for share this with all the world... and if you let me, i'll put this in my blog.

Is very hard to see how difficult it's been to be a woman... but is harder to see the things that still remains and makes not easy to be a woman
Posted 30 months ago. ( permalink )

sarakoz says:

I blogged it too ... I guess at this point I'm a copycat ;-)
Posted 30 months ago. ( permalink )

ChicanaFeliz says:

poor grandma. good thing is she kept it. she knew it was part of a historical moment in time. :-(
z
Posted 29 months ago. ( permalink )

The Macca's says:

Does the statute of limitations apply, if not sue the backside off that two-bit firm!!! Only joking, but it does show how time and attitudes have changed to equality and litigation.

Thanks for sharing.
Posted 28 months ago. ( permalink )

chasing photography says:

Wow, women can only trace and paint as "per the directions" but dont come by expecting a job. We have come a long way...
Posted 27 months ago. ( permalink )

uminomamori says:

Maybe I should save my rejection letters!
Posted 22 months ago. ( permalink )

walt_disney_ [deleted] says:

coolest!
Posted 22 months ago. ( permalink )

rockin_luv16 says:

oh the date is June 7, my birthday is June 8, Wonderful pic by the way :)
Posted 21 months ago. ( permalink )

Lori Seaborg says:

Just got back from a Disney-sponsored event for women bloggers (mommies), and am happy to report that lots of the top-level Disney staff are now women. Yay!

I love that you posted your letter. It is such a classic and good to remind us of where we were.

justpurelovely.typepad.com
Posted 20 months ago. ( permalink )

cyechout1959 says:

This is a rejection letter from Walt Disney Productions during the making of Snow White circa 1936 or 1937.
Posted 20 months ago. ( permalink )

cyechout1959 says:

It's circa June 1938! My mistake. This is after Snow White released. Maybe.
Posted 20 months ago. ( permalink )

Damgaard, (TheObsessivePhotographer.com) says:

Absolutely fantastic letter...the clincher for me? The use of the witch at the bottom.

Great piece of history here!
Posted 20 months ago. ( permalink )

latinasagogo [deleted] says:

wow
Posted 19 months ago. ( permalink )

christin▲ says:

thats amazing.. i wish i can be an animator during WWII
-- i also bought the walt disney treasure ON THE FRONT LINE recently too
Posted 18 months ago. ( permalink )

Gianfranco Goria says:

I talked about you in my daily news agency afnews.info today. :-)
www.afnews.info
www.afnews.info/public/afnews/news002/newsite m1221210760,...

Thank you: it's really interesting!
Posted 15 months ago. ( permalink )

misterymoor says:

this is great
Posted 13 months ago. ( permalink )

iarehawaiian says:

the digg effect.
Posted 11 months ago. ( permalink )

lapietra says:

wow - fascinating - yes, times have changed!
Posted 11 months ago. ( permalink )

Daniel Laskowski says:

brilliant! The picture in the bottom right corner: very appriopriate!
Posted 11 months ago. ( permalink )

kelaltieri says:

you've been dugg.
Posted 11 months ago. ( permalink )

donbuciak says:

thats crazy
Posted 11 months ago. ( permalink )

Retromoderns says:

Thank you for sharing this.
Posted 11 months ago. ( permalink )

Allstarme says:

Wow, that's ridiculous!
Posted 11 months ago. ( permalink )

bhartzer says:

Amazing, I would have thought that they employed more women rather than just "young men". What does age and sex have to do with it?
Posted 11 months ago. ( permalink )

andre szymanowicz says:

Is it me or do all the dwarfs(and the chipmunks and rabbit) seem to laughing at Snow White, who apparently is only allowed to trace on clear celluloid sheets with India ink?
Posted 11 months ago. ( permalink )

kchamberland says:

priceless. I blogged it as well.
Posted 11 months ago. ( permalink )

NeinLivez says:

Sad.
Posted 11 months ago. ( permalink )

applebox says:

OMG.
Posted 11 months ago. ( permalink )

zzazazz says:

Ah, the good old days.
Posted 11 months ago. ( permalink )

Wiretap Studios says:

Saw on digg.com. Love how the signature is by the witch picture.
Posted 11 months ago. ( permalink )

Julep67 says:

Thanks so much for sharing this!
Posted 11 months ago. ( permalink )

l0rddavis says:

wow is right
Posted 11 months ago. ( permalink )

jorr81 says:

Unreal how much can change in 70 years...
Posted 11 months ago. ( permalink )

DiegoVillaseñor says:

Those bastards.
Posted 11 months ago. ( permalink )

Jes Lee Photos says:

Saw this on twitter in a link from the Women's Museum. Makes me so grateful as to how far we have come! Thanks for sharing this!
Posted 11 months ago. ( permalink )

lucasoptura says:

Sadly, it seems to have worked. A quick Google search on Mary V. Ford seems to reveal that the Walt Disney company single-handedly crushed a dream. Follow your passion, even if a pill popping millionaire tells you aren't "qualified", you have to persevere. Move to Hollywood, setup an easel in front of the studio gate and paint all day, everyday until someone comes to see what you are doing. If that doesn't work, then you aren't qualified because you can't paint - and thats fair.
Posted 11 months ago. ( permalink )

Exile Bibliophile says:

Disney should reproduce this stationery.
Posted 11 months ago. ( permalink )

saripinksparkles says:

kind of funny that it appears to be signed by a woman named mary....
Posted 11 months ago. ( permalink )

willieabrams says:

Living in Searcy, it makes me wonder if any of your and her family still lives here and what she ended up doing instead.
Posted 11 months ago. ( permalink )

David Llopis says:

Hi, I'm an admin for a group called We are Cinema, and we'd love to have this added to the group!
Posted 11 months ago. ( permalink )

MRCAB says:

Awesome.
Posted 11 months ago. ( permalink )

hufalarch says:

pretty neat!
Posted 11 months ago. ( permalink )

Gamer Grrlz says:

Wow, shocking. What a slap in the face that they'd use stationary with a WOMAN on it. I guess the best kind of female Disney employee were the one's whose figure and face were selling their movies.
Posted 11 months ago. ( permalink )

kav p says:

Incredible. Thanks for sharing this with us! Walt must have been a sadist of some sort, given the rejection letter/happy writing paper combination used there. Either that or he had a very dark sense of humour!
Posted 11 months ago. ( permalink )

stefanc7 says:

Hi, I'm an admin for a group called usabilityweb, and we'd love to have this added to the group!
Posted 11 months ago. ( permalink )

Jane Hoskyn says:

Holy sh*t. Whenever I'm having a bad day at work, I'll look at this.
Posted 11 months ago. ( permalink )

esp says:

I agree with Gamer Grrlz - an absolute slap in the face.
Shocking.
Posted 11 months ago. ( permalink )

Mxfxdlg says:

You have to remember that at the time this letter was written, the entire country, and the world was of the same mentality towards women. Women had only just begun to invade the "industrial workplace" and were previously only thought to be "skilled" in domestic arts. I know it sounds primitive but, you must put yourself in the period to be able to relate. In addition to this reality, the animation business was in it's infancy. The people who were behind that letter were among the first to venture into this area and were staking all they had on it's success. They did not have the luxury of gambling on too many new approaches and experiments for fear of the whole thing collapsing and everyone being out of a job at a time when a job, any job was so hard to find. Don't think for one second that the men at Disney didn't have to withstand their share of unfair and primitive policies, as well. Eventually, Walt and the others opened up doors to more people (women included) and in fact was among the first to hire women for positions that were previously occupied only by men. Yes, we've come a long way, haven't we?
Posted 11 months ago. ( permalink )

Jane Hoskyn says:

Mxfxdlg you're absolutely right that Disney was only reflecting the social norms of the time. But that makes it no less shocking to see it in black and white. And the Disney drawings (of women!) add insult to injury.

"The good old days," eh? I'm so glad I wasn't born any earlier.
Posted 11 months ago. ( permalink )

stopmoclay says:

right click save as. TO THE NEWSPAPER OFFICES!!!!!!
Posted 11 months ago. ( permalink )

Angel Mass says:

Its all the same, is just the words that change
Posted 11 months ago. ( permalink )

Steve Wagar says:

Amazing pic, what history! Even 15 years later in 1953 my mother got a job running the computer (i.e. 1000 lb adding machine) at a bank (2nd National in New Haven), but when she was left they hired two men to do her job, and she had to train them, and they were both paid more than her.
Posted 10 months ago. ( permalink )

bluelily17 says:

Wow. I just came across this through a Women in Animation post.
Posted 8 months ago. ( permalink )

micah makes art™ says:

dude, 500 thousand views?
Posted 7 months ago. ( permalink )

Laurie York says:

This should be in the National Women's History Museum in Washington, DC.
Posted 2 months ago. ( permalink )

radmegan says:

Wow. Shocking. What a find!
Posted 2 months ago. ( permalink )

amyblog says:

yes, the witch as the bottom fit the mood perfectly.
interesting artifact for sure. thanks for sharing it!
Posted 2 months ago. ( permalink )

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Disney Rejection Letter, 1938

Comments

heather_mcnabb says:

tkcom says:

C. D. Ford says:

•phoenix• says:

michaeljamespinto says:

sigmaman says:

Davezilla was taken says:

{Pamphile} says:

twoluvcats says:

someofmyorange [deleted] says:

ebrandell says:

deadmetrix says:

Wishbook says:

RobertFrancis says:

no1ofcons says:

happysteve says:

aron_not_aaron says:

gilad seliktar says:

alex loves everything says:

asciident says:

eBelinda says:

alphac2005 says:

annulla says:

Ariadna Vallejo P [deleted] says:

sarakoz says:

ChicanaFeliz says:

The Macca's says:

chasing photography says:

uminomamori says:

walt_disney_ [deleted] says:

rockin_luv16 says:

Lori Seaborg says:

cyechout1959 says:

cyechout1959 says:

Damgaard, (TheObsessivePhotographer.com) says:

latinasagogo [deleted] says:

christin▲ says:

Gianfranco Goria says:

misterymoor says:

iarehawaiian says:

lapietra says:

Daniel Laskowski says:

kelaltieri says:

donbuciak says:

Retromoderns says:

Allstarme says:

bhartzer says:

andre szymanowicz says:

kchamberland says:

NeinLivez says:

applebox says:

zzazazz says:

Wiretap Studios says:

Julep67 says:

l0rddavis says:

jorr81 says:

DiegoVillaseñor says:

Jes Lee Photos says:

lucasoptura says:

Exile Bibliophile says:

saripinksparkles says:

willieabrams says:

David Llopis says:

MRCAB says:

hufalarch says:

Gamer Grrlz says:

kav p says:

stefanc7 says:

Jane Hoskyn says:

**esp** says:

Mxfxdlg says:

Jane Hoskyn says:

stopmoclay says:

Angel Mass says:

Steve Wagar says:

bluelily17 says:

micah makes art™ says:

Laurie York says:

esp says: