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Rose Cecil O'Neill (June 25, 1874 – April 6, 1944) was an American
cartoonist A cartoonist is a visual artist who specializes in both drawing and writing cartoons (individual images) or comics (sequential images). Cartoonists differ from comics writers or comics illustrators/artists in that they produce both the litera ...
, illustrator, artist, and writer. She rose to fame for her creation of the popular comic strip characters, Kewpies, in 1909, and was also the first published female cartoonist in the United States. The daughter of a book salesman and a homemaker, O'Neill was raised in rural
Nebraska Nebraska ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Ka ...
. She exhibited interest in the arts at an early age, and sought a career as an illustrator in New York City. Her Kewpie cartoons, which made their debut in a 1909 issue of ''
Ladies' Home Journal ''Ladies' Home Journal'' was an American magazine that ran until 2016 and was last published by the Meredith Corporation. It was first published on February 16, 1883, and eventually became one of the leading women's magazines of the 20th centur ...
'', were later manufactured as
bisque doll A bisque doll or porcelain doll is a doll made partially or wholly out of bisque or biscuit porcelain. Bisque dolls are characterized by their realistic, skin-like Gloss (material appearance), matte finish. They had their peak of popularity betwe ...
s in 1912 by J. D. Kestner, a German toy company, followed by
composition Composition or Compositions may refer to: Arts and literature *Composition (dance), practice and teaching of choreography * Composition (language), in literature and rhetoric, producing a work in spoken tradition and written discourse, to include ...
material and
celluloid Celluloids are a class of materials produced by mixing nitrocellulose and camphor, often with added dyes and other agents. Once much more common for its use as photographic film before the advent of safer methods, celluloid's common present-day ...
versions. The dolls were wildly popular in the early twentieth century, and are considered to be one of the first mass-marketed toys in the United States. O'Neill also wrote several novels and books of poetry, and was active in the
women's suffrage Women's suffrage is the women's rights, right of women to Suffrage, vote in elections. Several instances occurred in recent centuries where women were selectively given, then stripped of, the right to vote. In Sweden, conditional women's suffra ...
movement. She was for a time the highest-paid female illustrator in the world upon the success of the Kewpie dolls. O'Neill has been inducted into the
National Women's Hall of Fame The National Women's Hall of Fame (NWHF) is an American institution founded to honor and recognize women. It was incorporated in 1969 in Seneca Falls, New York, and first inducted honorees in 1973. As of 2024, the Hall has honored 312 inducte ...
. In 2022 at
San Diego Comic-Con San Diego Comic-Con is a comic book convention and multi-genre entertainment event held annually in San Diego, California, at the San Diego Convention Center. Founded in 1970, originally showcasing primarily comic books and science fiction/fant ...
, Rose O'Neill was inducted into the Eisner Awards Hall of Fame as a Comic Pioneer.


Early life

O'Neill was born on June 25, 1874, in
Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania Wilkes-Barre ( , alternatively or ) is a city in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. Located at the center of the Wyoming Valley in Northeastern Pennsylvania, it had a population of 44,328 in the 2020 census. It ...
, the daughter of William Patrick, an Irish immigrant, and Alice Asenath "Meemie" Smith O'Neill. She had two younger sisters, Lee and Callista, and three younger brothers: Hugh, James, and Clarence. The family moved to rural
Nebraska Nebraska ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Ka ...
while O'Neill was young. From early childhood, she expressed significant interest in the arts, immersing herself in drawing, painting, and sculpture. At thirteen, she entered a children's drawing competition sponsored by the '' Omaha Herald'' and won first prize for her drawing, titled "Temptation Leading to an Abyss". Within two years, O'Neill was providing illustrations for the local Omaha publications ''Excelsior'' and ''The Great Divide'' as well as other periodicals, having secured this work with help from the editor at the ''Omaha World-Herald'' and the Art Director from ''Everybody Magazine'' who had judged the competition. The income helped support her family, which her father had struggled to support as a bookseller. O'Neill attended the Sacred Heart Convent school in Omaha.


Career


Move to New York

To market her skills to a broader audience, O'Neill moved to New York in 1893; she stopped in Chicago en route to visit the
World Columbian Exposition The World's Columbian Exposition, also known as the Chicago World's Fair, was a world's fair held in Chicago from May 5 to October 31, 1893, to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1492. The c ...
. The nuns accompanied her to various publishers to sell work from her portfolio of sixty drawings. She was able to sell her drawings to numerous publishing houses and began taking orders for more. A four-panel comic strip by O'Neill was featured in a September 19, 1896, issue of ''Truth'' magazine, making her the first American woman to publish a comic strip. While O'Neill was living in New York, her father made a homestead claim on a small tract of land in the
Ozarks The Ozarks, also known as the Ozark Mountains, Ozark Highlands or Ozark Plateau, is a physiographic region in the U.S. states of Missouri, Arkansas, and Oklahoma, as well as a small area in the southeastern corner of Kansas. The Ozarks cover ...
wilderness of southern
Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...
. The tract had a "dog-trot" cabin with two log cabins (one was used for eating and the other for sleeping) and a breezeway between. A year later when O'Neill visited the land, it had become known as "Bonniebrook". During this time O'Neill was experiencing considerable success, having joined the staff of '' Puck'', an American humor magazine, where she was the only female on staff. In 1909, she began work drawing advertisements for
Jell-O Jell-O (stylized in all caps) is an American brand offering a variety of powdered gelatin dessert (fruit-flavored gels/jellies), pudding, and no-bake cream pie mixes. The original gelatin dessert ( genericized as jello) is the signature of ...
, and contributed illustrations to ''
Harper's ''Harper's Magazine'' is a monthly magazine of literature, politics, culture, finance, and the arts. Launched in New York City in June 1850, it is the oldest continuously published monthly magazine in the United States. ''Harper's Magazine'' has ...
'' and ''
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'' magazines.


Early illustrations

In 1892, while in Omaha, O'Neill met a young Virginian named Gray Latham, whom she married in 1896. He visited O'Neill in New York City, and continued writing to her when she went to Missouri to see her family. After Latham's father went to
Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...
to make films, he went to Bonniebrook in 1896. Concerned with the welfare of her family, O'Neill sent much of her paycheck home. In the following years O'Neill became unhappy with Latham, as he liked "living large" and gambling, and was known as a
playboy ''Playboy'' (stylized in all caps) is an American men's Lifestyle journalism, lifestyle and entertainment magazine, available both online and in print. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, funded in part by a $ ...
. O'Neill found that Latham, with his very expensive tastes, had spent her paychecks on himself. O'Neill then moved to
Taney County, Missouri Taney County is a county in the southwestern portion of the U.S. state of Missouri. As of the 2020 census, the population was 56,066. Its county seat is Forsyth. It is included in the Branson Micropolitan Statistical Area. Taney County was ...
, where she filed for divorce in 1901, returning to Bonniebrook. Latham died the same year, and some sources state that O'Neill was
widow A widow (female) or widower (male) is a person whose spouse has Death, died and has usually not remarried. The male form, "widower", is first attested in the 14th century, by the 19th century supplanting "widow" with reference to men. The adjecti ...
ed. In late 1901, O'Neill began receiving anonymous letters and gifts in the mail. She learned that they were sent by Harry Leon Wilson, an assistant editor at ''Puck''. O'Neill and Wilson became romantically involved soon after, and married in 1902. After a honeymoon in
Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...
, they moved to Bonniebrook, where they lived for the next several winters. During the first three years Wilson wrote two novels, ''The Lions of the Lord'' (1903) and ''The Boss of Little Arcady'' (1905), both of which O'Neill drew illustrations for. One of Wilson's later novels, ''
Ruggles of Red Gap ''Ruggles of Red Gap'' is a 1935 American comedy film directed by Leo McCarey and starring: Charles Laughton, Mary Boland, Charlie Ruggles and ZaSu Pitts and featuring Roland Young and Leila Hyams. It was based on the best-selling 1915 nove ...
'', became popular and was made into several motion pictures, including a
silent movie ''Silent Movie'' is a 1976 American satirical silent comedy film co-written, directed by and starring Mel Brooks, released by 20th Century Fox in summer 1976. The ensemble cast includes Dom DeLuise, Marty Feldman, Bernadette Peters, and S ...
, a "talkie" starring
Charles Laughton Charles Laughton (; 1 July 1899 – 15 December 1962) was a British and American actor. He was trained in London at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and first appeared professionally on the stage in 1926. In 1927, he was cast in a play wi ...
, and then a remake called '' Fancy Pants'' starring
Lucille Ball Lucille Désirée Ball (August 6, 1911 – April 26, 1989) was an American actress, comedian, producer, and studio executive. She was recognized by ''Time (magazine), Time'' in 2020 as one of the most influential women of the 20th century for h ...
and
Bob Hope Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was an American comedian, actor, entertainer and producer with a career that spanned nearly 80 years and achievements in vaudeville, network radio, television, and USO Tours. He appeared ...
. The couple divorced in 1907. In 1904, O'Neill published her first novel, ''The Loves of Edwy'', which she also illustrated. A review published by ''Book News'' in 1905 considered O'Neill's illustrations to "possess a rare breadth of sympathy with and understanding of humanity".


Kewpies and breakthrough

As educational opportunities were made available in the 19th century, women artists became part of professional enterprises, and some founded their own art associations. Artwork made by women was considered to be inferior, and to help overcome that stereotype women became, according to art historian Laura Prieto, "increasingly vocal and confident" in promoting women's work. Many women artists, including O'Neill, could be characterized as examples of the educated, modern, and independent "
New Woman The New Woman was a feminist ideal that emerged in the late 19th century and had a profound influence well into the 20th century. In 1894, writer Sarah Grand (1854–1943) used the term "new woman" in an influential article to refer to indepe ...
," a form of gender identity that emerged at the time. According to Prieto, artists "played crucial roles in representing the New Woman, both by drawing images of the icon and exemplifying this emerging type through their own lives". In the late 19th century and early 20th century, about 88% of the subscribers of 11,000 magazines and periodicals were women. As women entered the artist community, publishers hired women to create illustrations that depicted the world from a woman's perspective. Other successful illustrators were
Jennie Augusta Brownscombe Jennie Augusta Brownscombe (December 10, 1850 – August 5, 1936) was an American painter, designer, etcher, commercial artist, and illustrator. Brownscombe studied art for years in the United States and in Paris. She was a founding member, stude ...
,
Jessie Willcox Smith Jessie Willcox Smith (September 6, 1863 – May 3, 1935) was an American illustrator during the Illustration#The_"Golden_Age", Golden Age of American illustration. She was considered "one of the greatest pure illustrators". A contributor to boo ...
, Elizabeth Shippen Green, and
Violet Oakley Violet Oakley (June 10, 1874 – February 25, 1961) was an American artist. She was the first American woman to receive a public mural commission. During the first quarter of the 20th century, she was renowned as a pathbreaker in mural decoratio ...
. It was amid the New Woman and burgeoning suffragist movements that, in 1908, O'Neill began to concentrate on producing original artwork, and it was during this period that she created the whimsical Kewpie characters for which she became known. Their name, "Kewpie", derives from
Cupid In classical mythology, Cupid ( , meaning "passionate desire") is the god of desire, erotic love, attraction and affection. He is often portrayed as the son of the love goddess Venus and the god of war Mars. He is also known as Amor (Latin: ...
, the Roman god of love. According to O'Neill, she became obsessed with the idea of the cherubic characters, to the point that she had dreams about them: "I thought about the Kewpies so much that I had a dream about them where they were all doing acrobatic pranks on the coverlet of my bed. One sat in my hand." She described them as "a sort of little round fairy whose one idea is to teach people to be merry and kind at the same time". The Kewpie characters made their debut in
comic strip A comic strip is a Comics, sequence of cartoons, arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often Serial (literature), serialized, with text in Speech balloon, balloons and Glossary of comics terminology#Captio ...
form in 1909 in an issue of ''
Ladies' Home Journal ''Ladies' Home Journal'' was an American magazine that ran until 2016 and was last published by the Meredith Corporation. It was first published on February 16, 1883, and eventually became one of the leading women's magazines of the 20th centur ...
''. Further publications of the Kewpie comics in ''
Woman's Home Companion ''Woman's Home Companion'' was an American monthly magazine, published from 1873 to 1957. It was highly successful, climbing to a circulation peak of more than four million during the 1930s and 1940s. The magazine, headquartered in Springfield, O ...
'' and ''
Good Housekeeping ''Good Housekeeping'' is an American lifestyle media brand that covers a wide range of topics from home decor and renovation, health, beauty and food, to entertainment, pets and gifts. The Good Housekeeping Institute which opened its "Experiment ...
'' helped the cartoon grow in popularity rapidly. In 1913, German doll manufacturer Kestner & Co. began making Kewpie dolls. The dolls were immediately successful, and more companies were licensed to produce them in order to meet demand. O'Neill repeatedly visited Germany to supervise the doll manufacturers. As O'Neill rose to fame, she garnered a public reputation as a
bohemian Bohemian or Bohemians may refer to: *Anything of or relating to Bohemia Culture and arts * Bohemianism, an unconventional lifestyle, originally practised by 19th–20th century European and American artists and writers. * Bohemian style, a ...
, and became an ardent
women's rights Women's rights are the rights and Entitlement (fair division), entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st c ...
advocate. The success of the Kewpies amassed her a fortune of $1.4 million, with which she purchased properties including Bonniebrook, an apartment in
Washington Square Park Washington Square Park is a public park in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Lower Manhattan, New York City. It is an icon as well as a meeting place and center for cultural activity. The park is operated by the New York City Department o ...
in
Greenwich Village Greenwich Village, or simply the Village, is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street (Manhattan), 14th Street to the north, Broadway (Manhattan), Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the s ...
, ''Castle Carabas'' in
Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...
, and ''Villa Narcissus'' (bought from Charles Caryl Coleman) on the Isle of Capri, Italy. At the height of the Kewpie success, O'Neill was the highest-paid female illustrator in the world. O'Neill was well known in New York City's artistic circles, and through her association, she was the inspiration for the song "
Rose of Washington Square ''Rose of Washington Square'' is a 1939 American musical drama film, featuring the already well-known popular song with the same title. Set in 1920s New York City, the film focuses on singer Rose Sargent and her turbulent relationship with con a ...
".


Paris and later career

O'Neill continued working, even at her wealthiest, exploring many different types of art. She learned sculpture at the hand of
Auguste Rodin François Auguste René Rodin (; ; 12 November 184017 November 1917) was a French sculptor generally considered the founder of modern sculpture. He was schooled traditionally and took a craftsman-like approach to his work. Rodin possessed a u ...
and had several exhibitions of sculptures and paintings in
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
and the United States. These works were more experimental in nature, and largely influenced by dreams and mythology. O'Neill spent 1921 to 1926 living in Paris. While there, she was elected to the Société Coloniale des Artistes Français in 1921, and had exhibitions of her sculptures at the Galerie Devambez in Paris and the Wildenstein Galleries in New York in 1921 and 1922, respectively. In 1927, O'Neill returned to the United States, and by 1937 was living at Bonniebrook permanently. By the 1940s, she had lost the majority of her money and properties, partly through extravagant spending, as well as the cost of fully supporting her family, her entourage of "artistic" hangers-on, and her first husband. The
Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...
also hurt O'Neill's fortune. During that period, O'Neill was dismayed to find that her work was no longer in demand. After thirty years of popularity, the Kewpie character phenomenon had faded, and photography was replacing illustration as a commercial vehicle. O'Neill experimented with crafting a new doll, eventually creating Little Ho Ho, which was a laughing baby
Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha (),* * * was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist legends, he was ...
. However, before plans could be finalized for production of the new little figure, the factory burned to the ground.


Personal life

O'Neill became a prominent personality in the
Branson, Missouri Branson is a city in the U.S. state of Missouri. Most of the city is situated in Taney County, Missouri, Taney County, with a small portion in the west extending into Stone County, Missouri, Stone County. Branson is in the Ozarks, Ozark Mountain ...
community donating her time and pieces of artwork to the School of the Ozarks at Point Lookout, Missouri, and remaining active in the local art community. On April 6, 1944, O'Neill died of
heart failure Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome caused by an impairment in the heart's ability to Cardiac cycle, fill with and pump blood. Although symptoms vary based on which side of the heart is affected, HF ...
resulting from
paralysis Paralysis (: paralyses; also known as plegia) is a loss of Motor skill, motor function in one or more Skeletal muscle, muscles. Paralysis can also be accompanied by a loss of feeling (sensory loss) in the affected area if there is sensory d ...
at the home of her nephew in
Springfield, Missouri Springfield is the List of cities in Missouri, third most populous city in the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Greene County, Missouri, Greene County. The city's population was 169,176 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 censu ...
. She is interred in the family cemetery at Bonniebrook Homestead, next to her mother and several family members. Bonniebrook Homestead was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
in 1997.


Published works


As author and illustrator

*''The Loves of Edwy'' (Boston: Lothrop, 1904) *''The Lady in the White Veil'' (New York: Harper and Brothers, 1909) *''The Kewpies and Dottie Darling'' (New York: George H. Doran, 1912) *''The Kewpies: Their Book, Verse and Poetry'' (New York: Frederick A. Stokes, 1913) *''The Kewpie Kutouts'' (1914) *''The Kewpie Primer'' (1916) *''The Master-Mistress'' (New York:
Knopf Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. () is an American publishing house that was founded by Blanche Knopf and Alfred A. Knopf Sr. in 1915. Blanche and Alfred traveled abroad regularly and were known for publishing European, Asian, and Latin American writers ...
, 1922) *''Kewpies and the Runaway Baby'' (New York: Doubleday, Doran, 1928) *''Garda'' (New York: Doubleday, Doran, 1929) *''The Goblin Woman'' (New York: Doubleday, Doran, 1930)


Illustrator only

*''The Lions of the Lord'' by Harry Leon Wilson (Boston: Lothrop, 1903) *''The Boss of Little Arcady'' by Harry Leon Wilson (Boston: Lothrop, 1905) *''The Hickory Limb'' by Parker Hoysted Fillmore (New York: John Lane Co., 1910) *''Our Baby’s Book'' (New York: Woman's Home Companion, 1914) *''A Little Question of Ladies’ Rights'' by Parker Hoysted Fillmore (New York: John Lane Co., 1916) *''Tomorrow's House; or The Tiny Angel'' by George O'Neil (New York: E. P. Dutton, 1930) – brother–sister collaboration *''Sing a Song of Safety'' by Irving Caesar (New York: I. Caesar, 1937)


References


Footnotes


Sources

* * * * * * * * * * *


Further reading

*Armitage, S. (1994) ''Kewpies And Beyond, the World of Rose O'Neill.'' University Press of Mississippi. . *Brewster, L. (2009) ''Rose O'Neill: The Girl Who Loved to Draw''. Boxing Day Books. . *Brewster, L. (2014) ''Rose O'Neill: Not Just The Kewpie Lady ''.Illustration Magazine. . *Buhr, S. (2018) ''Frolic of the Mind: The Illustrious Life of Rose O'Neill''. Springfield Art Museum. . *Formanek-Brunell, M. (1997) ''The Story of Rose O'Neill''. University of Missouri Press. . * Ripley, J. R. (2004) ''Bum Rap in Branson.'' Beachfront Publishing. . *Goodman, Helen (1989) ''The Art of Rose O'Neill''. Brandywine River Museum. Exhibition Catalogue.


External links


Bonniebrook Gallery, Museum, and Homestead
(official)

at U.S. National Park Service
Rose O'Neill
at the American Art Archives
Documenting the Gilded Age: New York City Exhibitions at the Turn of the 20th Century
– a New York Art Resources Consortium project * * * *
Rose O'Neill Museum SpringfieldRose O'Neill collection
a
New-York Historical SocietyMissouri Remembers: Artists in Missouri through 1951
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oneill, Rose 1874 births 1944 deaths 20th-century American artists 20th-century American writers American women illustrators American illustrators American people of Irish descent American suffragists American women's rights activists Artists from Omaha, Nebraska American female comics artists American female comics writers Writers who illustrated their own writing Writers from Omaha, Nebraska Writers from Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania College of the Ozarks alumni 20th-century American women writers