"Kelley began working in the industry doing menial jobs like washing film cells, but she worked her way up and Johnson said she was eventually "working elbow to elbow with #MaxFleischer, #PaulTerry and #WalterLantz, animators who were household names."

Her work as a pioneering animator was lost to history — until now | #BessieMaeKelley #Animation #HistoryOfAnimation #WomenInAnimation | NPR
https://www.npr.org/2022/12/24/1145092476/bessie-mae-kelley-first-woman-animator