Rose O'Neill - Infinite Women

Born: 25 June 1874, United States
Died: 6 April 1944
Country most active: United States
Also known as: Rose O’Neill Latham, Rose O’Neill Wilson

The following (also here) is republished from the Library of Congress. This piece falls under under public domain, as copyright does not apply to “any work of the U.S. Government” where “a work prepared by an officer or employee of the U.S. Government as part of that person’s official duties” (See, 17 U.S.C. §§ 101, 105).

Rose Cecil O’Neill was an iconoclast in every sense of the word. A self-taught bohemian artist, who ascended through a male-dominated field to become a top illustrator and the first to build a merchandising empire from her work, with her invention of the Kewpie doll.

As a young woman coming of age in the late 19th century, Rose redefined what a female artist of the time could achieve both creatively and commercially.

Born in Pennsylvania in 1874, O’Neill relocated with her family by covered wagon to rural Nebraska. She began drawing in childhood and, at age 13, won a newspaper drawing contest in her adopted hometown of Omaha. At just 18, and with no formal art education, had her drawings published in newspapers and magazines throughout the Midwest. Within the year, she moved to New York with hopes of launching a career as an artist.

Settled in Manhattan, O’Neill quickly made a name for herself as a commercial illustrator, publishing in national magazines such as Life, Ladies’ Home Journal and Harper’s Monthly. At 23, she became the first woman artist on staff at the leading humor magazine Puck. She was now earning top dollar for her work, making her one of the highest paid illustrators in New York.

At the same time, O’Neill remained dedicated to her own creativity fulfilling art. As a sculptor and a painter, she exhibited her work in New York and Paris. As a novelist and poet, she published eight novels and several children’s books

O’Neill also was an activist for women’s issues. She marched as a suffragist and illustrated posters, postcards and political cartoons for the cause. She championed dress reform, choosing to be brazenly corset-less underneath loose caftans.

In 1907, O’Neill began developing short illustrated stories featuring cherubic characters, who “did good deeds in a humorous way.” The comic strip “The Kewpies” premiered in Ladies’ Home Journal in 1909 and was an instant hit. The strip’s spectacular popularity inspired her to envision the Kewpie as a doll. Kewpie dolls hit the shelves in 1913 and immediately became a phenomenon—it took factories in six different countries to fill orders. The Kewpie became the first novelty toy distributed worldwide and earned O’Neill a fortune.

Wealthy beyond her dreams, O’Neill retreated to Castle Carabas, a lavish villa in rural Connecticut, where she entertained artists and other exotic visitors. Over time, O’Neill’s generosity and extravagant living depleted her funds. In 1941, she moved into a family home in Missouri to work on her memoirs and died in 1944, penniless.

For over a century, the Kewpie remained an icon of American popular culture. The vitality and versatility pack

1896 Publishes “The Old Subscriber Calls,” in Truth magazine, the first comic strip by a woman. Marries Virginia aristocrat Gray Latham.
1897 Becomes the only woman on staff at the leading humor magazine Puck.
1901 Divorces Gray Latham.
1902 Stops signing her work as a man “O’Neill Latham.” Marries Harry Leon Wilson, a writer and editor at Puck.
1904 Publishes her first semi-autobiographical novel The Loves of Edwy.
1908 Jell-O becomes her client.
1909 First Kewpie comic strip debuts in Ladies Home Journal.
1910 Publishes her first children’s book The Kewpies and Dotty Darling.
1912 Exhibits artwork at the Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts in Paris. Paper dolls called “Kewpie Kutouts” begin selling.
1913 Obtains patent for the Kewpie doll.
1914 Tells the Press how Kewpies came to her in a dream. Is one the highest paid female illustrators in New York.
1921 Holds solo exhibit at the Galerie Devambez in Paris.
1922 Exhibits “Monster” series at the Wildenstein Gallery in New York.
1922 – 1941 Relocates to her villa “Castle Carabas” in Connecticut, which becomes a sought after artist salon.
1941 Retreats to a family home in the Ozarks to write memoirs.
1944 O’Neill dies.