Rose O'Neill: Cartoonist, Feminist, & Creator of the Kewpie

Rose O'Neill
Image Credit

Today, getting a job in a male-dominated field can be intimidating, which may be why women are still under-represented in many fields. Imagine doing it in 1909. That’s exactly what Rose O’Neill did. The famous cartoonist was born on June 25th, 1874 to parents who encouraged her talent and inspired her to fight for gender equality. O’Neill was well-educated; she attended Sacred Heart Academy in Omaha and studied classical literature from her father’s private library. However, her artistic skills were entirely self-taught. Growing up, the budding artist drew everything, leading her to win first prize in the Omaha World Herald art contest with her piece titled Temptation Leading Down into an Abyss. According to Sweet Monsters and Kewpies: The Mystery of Rose O’Neill, the judges were convinced O’Neill couldn’t have possibly drawn the piece herself. They thought she had copied Paul Gustave Doré, a French artist, so they made her draw something in front of them to prove herself. This was the start of O’Neill’s career. 

The native Pennsylvanian became famous for her Kewpies, which were comic book characters that looked like baby cupids. The comic strip inspired a spin-off of many things including dolls, dishware, and coloring books. As Stephanie Buck writes in her article titled Meet the hardcore feminist who created the cute Kewpie doll, “Americans wanted to tear their faces off the Kewpies were so cute. They barely noticed the illustrator had a feminist agenda.” Many cartoons featured Kewpies holding signs about giving women the right to vote. Eventually, O’Neill began working as the first female cartoonist for Puck, a humor magazine that was targeted toward men, where she began to make political statements. O’Neill made political cartoons about woman’s rights, racism, and even domestic abuse. It’s been noted that many of O’Neill’s cartoons feature an onlooking child because she was worried children were learning terrible things during this time from things they heard and saw in the media. Beside Puck, O’Neill wrote for a multitude of women’s magazines including Ladies’ Home Journal, Woman’s Home Companion, and Cosmopolitan.

A cartoon featuring the Kewpies illustrated by O'Neill.
Image Credit

The cartoonist not only fought for woman’s suffrage in magazines, but also in the streets. O’Neill marched in several rallies in New York City, where her Kewpies were printed on banners and sashes to fight for the movement. Furthermore, she designed programs for the National American Woman Suffrage Association that were handed out at marches. O’Neill was never afraid to speak her mind, whether in print or in person. She gave several interviews where she spoke in support of woman’s suffrage. The following statement is from an interview she gave the New York Tribune: 

"[Woman] ... is far the greater of the two sexes. Woman is the philosopher. What she knows man must figure laboriously through logic." 

Although O’Neill was the first female cartoonist, many people at the time didn’t even know she was female. While working at Puck, O’Neill would sign her cartoons “O’Neill”, omitting her first name and allowing her readers to think she was male. Not only was O’Neill the first female in her field, but she was also successful. At one point, she was the highest paid female illustrator in the United States. With all her money and success, O’Neill was able to draw attention to important issues without being attacked by men due to her stature. Unfortunately, O’Neill gave away a lot of her money to friends and family and did not save any for herself, leaving her to die penniless. 

Rose O’Neill was an inspiration for women of her generation and beyond. Her feminist cartoons inspired everyday women to get out and join the fight for woman’s suffrage. Personally, as someone who is a computer science major and is the only woman in many of her classes, I find it very inspirational that O’Neill was able to break into a male-dominated industry during that time. She made strides for me and so many other women looking to pursue a job seen fit for a man. Despite opposition and no format art education, she proved her cartoons were just as good as any male illustrators of the time and fought for her place in a male-dominated field. 



Works Cited

Buck, Stephanie. "Meet the hardcore feminist who created the cute Kewpie doll." Timeline. 8 November 2016. Web. 5 September 2018. 

Hobbs, Lenora. "Sweet Monsters and Kewpies: The Mystery of Rose O’Neill." Gateway Heritage: The Magazine of the Missouri Historical Society. 2001. America: History and Life with Full Text. Web. 5 September 2018.