Rose O'Neill, Editorial Cartoons

Born in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania and raised in rural Nebraska, Rose O'Neill (1874-1944) taught herself how to draw and created the first comic strip published by a woman in the United States. She first achieved artistic success at the age of thirteen when she won a drawing prize from the Omaha World-Herald. At the age of nineteen, O'Neill moved from Nebraska to New York City to start her illustration career, and quickly had her work published in magazines including Truth, Life, Harper's Bazaar, Cosmopolitan, and Good Housekeeping. O'Neill moved to Missouri in 1901.

In 1909, O'Neill created the Kewpies, which resembled and were named after Cupid, the Roman god of love. Kewpies frequently featured in Good Housekeeping and Woman's Home Compamnion and, due to public demand, became manufactured as porcelain dolls. O'Neill became a millionaire from the sales of the dolls. O'Neill continued her career in illustration and became an artist for companies such as Jell-O, Kelloggs, and Eastman Kodak. O'Neill died in 1944 and was buried at her Bonniebrook home in the Missouri Ozarks.