1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:05,240 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class is a production of iHeartRadio. 2 00:00:05,840 --> 00:00:09,760 Speaker 1: Hello and Welcome to This Day in History Class, a 3 00:00:09,840 --> 00:00:12,760 Speaker 1: show that believes there's no time like the present to 4 00:00:12,880 --> 00:00:17,800 Speaker 1: learn about the past. I'm Gabeluesier, and in this episode, 5 00:00:18,079 --> 00:00:20,840 Speaker 1: we're looking at the story of a trailblazing artist who 6 00:00:21,000 --> 00:00:24,480 Speaker 1: leveraged her illustrated characters to create one of the world's 7 00:00:24,520 --> 00:00:35,479 Speaker 1: first merchandising empires. The day was June twenty fifth, eighteen 8 00:00:35,600 --> 00:00:40,560 Speaker 1: seventy four. Self taught illustrator and CP doll creator Rose 9 00:00:40,560 --> 00:00:45,920 Speaker 1: O'Neill was born in Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania. Her family moved 10 00:00:45,960 --> 00:00:48,760 Speaker 1: to rural Nebraska when she was still young, and she 11 00:00:48,840 --> 00:00:51,519 Speaker 1: spent most of her childhood drawing and playing with her 12 00:00:51,560 --> 00:00:55,960 Speaker 1: two sisters, Lee and Callista. The girl's parents, William and Alice, 13 00:00:56,360 --> 00:00:59,440 Speaker 1: encouraged their children to practice as many different art forms 14 00:00:59,440 --> 00:01:03,080 Speaker 1: as they could. O'Neill's mother was a school teacher as 15 00:01:03,120 --> 00:01:06,199 Speaker 1: well as a talented musician and actress, and her father 16 00:01:06,400 --> 00:01:10,720 Speaker 1: was a bookseller who loved literature and theater. The family 17 00:01:10,840 --> 00:01:14,120 Speaker 1: was poor, but thanks to William's vocation, they managed to 18 00:01:14,120 --> 00:01:18,000 Speaker 1: build an extensive home library, which O'Neill made good use of. 19 00:01:18,120 --> 00:01:22,080 Speaker 1: When teaching herself how to draw, she spent hours pouring 20 00:01:22,160 --> 00:01:26,399 Speaker 1: over photographs and engravings of Renaissance artworks and strove to 21 00:01:26,440 --> 00:01:29,400 Speaker 1: capture a similar level of detail in her own drawings. 22 00:01:30,520 --> 00:01:34,080 Speaker 1: At age thirteen, O'Neil won an art contest sponsored by 23 00:01:34,120 --> 00:01:37,440 Speaker 1: an Omaha newspaper, but she wasn't allowed to collect her 24 00:01:37,480 --> 00:01:41,240 Speaker 1: prize until she demonstrated her skills in person to prove 25 00:01:41,360 --> 00:01:45,800 Speaker 1: she had actually drawn her submission. The editors were shocked 26 00:01:45,880 --> 00:01:48,440 Speaker 1: that a teenage girl could be such a gifted artist, 27 00:01:48,760 --> 00:01:51,440 Speaker 1: which shows you just how male dominated the field of 28 00:01:51,480 --> 00:01:56,840 Speaker 1: illustration was in those days. Throughout her teens, O'Neill continued 29 00:01:56,880 --> 00:02:00,480 Speaker 1: to publish her work in regional newspapers. Then, when she 30 00:02:00,600 --> 00:02:03,520 Speaker 1: was nineteen, she moved to New York City to pursue 31 00:02:03,560 --> 00:02:06,600 Speaker 1: a career as an artist. She took her room in 32 00:02:06,640 --> 00:02:09,280 Speaker 1: a convent so she wouldn't have to live alone, and 33 00:02:09,400 --> 00:02:11,640 Speaker 1: some of the nuns were said to have tagged along 34 00:02:11,720 --> 00:02:16,720 Speaker 1: on her early interviews to show their moral support. O'Neill's 35 00:02:16,840 --> 00:02:21,000 Speaker 1: energetic art Nouveau style drawings turned heads right away, and 36 00:02:21,080 --> 00:02:23,920 Speaker 1: she quickly became one of the most in demand commercial 37 00:02:23,960 --> 00:02:28,679 Speaker 1: illustrators in Manhattan. Over the next five decades, her work 38 00:02:28,720 --> 00:02:33,720 Speaker 1: would appear in dozens of national magazines, including Life, Collier's, 39 00:02:34,120 --> 00:02:38,600 Speaker 1: Harper's Bazaar, Cosmopolitan, and Ladies Home Journal, just to name 40 00:02:38,639 --> 00:02:42,880 Speaker 1: a few. At first, O'Neil was encouraged by publishers to 41 00:02:43,000 --> 00:02:46,000 Speaker 1: hide her gender from the public, but the more popular 42 00:02:46,080 --> 00:02:49,120 Speaker 1: her work became, the more the industry began to embrace 43 00:02:49,200 --> 00:02:53,680 Speaker 1: the idea of a woman illustrator. One major turning point 44 00:02:53,800 --> 00:02:57,520 Speaker 1: came in eighteen ninety six, when Truth Magazine published a 45 00:02:57,560 --> 00:03:02,320 Speaker 1: comic strip she created called The Old Subscriber Calls. It 46 00:03:02,440 --> 00:03:05,600 Speaker 1: was the first published comic strip created by a woman, 47 00:03:05,960 --> 00:03:08,880 Speaker 1: and Truth Magazine was all too happy to doubt the fact, 48 00:03:09,280 --> 00:03:15,360 Speaker 1: dubbing her America's first female cartoonist. O'Neill's comic strips proved 49 00:03:15,400 --> 00:03:18,519 Speaker 1: so popular that the following year, she was invited to 50 00:03:18,600 --> 00:03:22,520 Speaker 1: join the staff of Puck, the nation's leading humor magazine. 51 00:03:23,200 --> 00:03:26,440 Speaker 1: At age twenty three, she became the first woman artist 52 00:03:26,480 --> 00:03:29,360 Speaker 1: to work there, and would remain the only one until 53 00:03:29,400 --> 00:03:33,720 Speaker 1: six years later. During this time, Puck published more than 54 00:03:33,880 --> 00:03:37,160 Speaker 1: seven hundred of her illustrations, making her one of the 55 00:03:37,160 --> 00:03:41,720 Speaker 1: most prolific and highest paid illustrators in New York regardless 56 00:03:41,760 --> 00:03:46,880 Speaker 1: of gender. Rose O'Neill eventually parted ways with Puck and 57 00:03:46,960 --> 00:03:50,680 Speaker 1: went back to freelancing for the nation's top magazines. Her 58 00:03:50,720 --> 00:03:54,800 Speaker 1: illustrations graced the covers of sixty publications, and she also 59 00:03:54,920 --> 00:03:58,680 Speaker 1: created illustrations for the ad campaigns of companies like Procter 60 00:03:58,840 --> 00:04:03,360 Speaker 1: and Gamble, Hullgar eight, Paul molliff an Edison phonograph. She 61 00:04:03,440 --> 00:04:07,280 Speaker 1: published written work during this time as well, mostly poetry 62 00:04:07,320 --> 00:04:11,920 Speaker 1: and short stories, some of which she illustrated herself. O'Neil 63 00:04:12,040 --> 00:04:15,280 Speaker 1: also had two brief marriages while working in New York, 64 00:04:15,680 --> 00:04:19,200 Speaker 1: the first to Gray Latham in eighteen ninety six and 65 00:04:19,240 --> 00:04:22,920 Speaker 1: the second to Harry Leon Wilson in nineteen oh two. 66 00:04:23,120 --> 00:04:26,200 Speaker 1: She was single again by nineteen oh seven and chose 67 00:04:26,279 --> 00:04:30,359 Speaker 1: not to marry a third time. That same year, O'Neil 68 00:04:30,440 --> 00:04:33,839 Speaker 1: began developing the creation for which she's best known today, 69 00:04:34,279 --> 00:04:38,719 Speaker 1: The Cupies, loosely based on and named after Cupid, the 70 00:04:38,839 --> 00:04:43,360 Speaker 1: Roman god of love. Cupies were fanciful, cherub like characters. 71 00:04:43,880 --> 00:04:47,880 Speaker 1: They sported sidelong eyes, a wide, impish smile, in a 72 00:04:47,920 --> 00:04:53,080 Speaker 1: distinctive topknot hair style. O'Neil described them as quote a 73 00:04:53,160 --> 00:04:56,719 Speaker 1: sort of little round fairy whose one idea is to 74 00:04:56,800 --> 00:05:00,240 Speaker 1: teach people to be merry and kind. At the same time, 75 00:05:01,360 --> 00:05:05,400 Speaker 1: she spent about two years developing the characters and drawing short, 76 00:05:05,440 --> 00:05:08,560 Speaker 1: illustrated stories in which they did good deeds in a 77 00:05:08,640 --> 00:05:12,960 Speaker 1: humorous way. Finally, in nineteen o nine, the Keupies were 78 00:05:12,960 --> 00:05:16,800 Speaker 1: ready to make their world debut. They first appeared in 79 00:05:16,839 --> 00:05:19,560 Speaker 1: a comic strip of the same name, which was published 80 00:05:19,560 --> 00:05:23,200 Speaker 1: in Ladies Home Journal. The Keupies were an instant hit 81 00:05:23,480 --> 00:05:26,679 Speaker 1: and soon found their way into the pages of other periodicals, 82 00:05:26,920 --> 00:05:32,520 Speaker 1: including Good Housekeeping and Woman's Home Companion. The joyful Elfish 83 00:05:32,640 --> 00:05:36,159 Speaker 1: characters struck a chord with children and adults alike, and 84 00:05:36,200 --> 00:05:39,279 Speaker 1: it wasn't long before readers started writing in to voice 85 00:05:39,320 --> 00:05:44,120 Speaker 1: their demand for Cupie merchandise. The most popular request was 86 00:05:44,160 --> 00:05:47,839 Speaker 1: for a doll or figurine, so in nineteen twelve O'Neil 87 00:05:47,920 --> 00:05:51,000 Speaker 1: started working with a German porcelain company to bring her 88 00:05:51,040 --> 00:05:55,320 Speaker 1: star character into the third dimension. The first figures were 89 00:05:55,400 --> 00:05:58,680 Speaker 1: available in several sizes, and all of them flew off 90 00:05:58,720 --> 00:06:03,400 Speaker 1: store shelves in nineteen thirteen. Demand remained so high over 91 00:06:03,440 --> 00:06:06,960 Speaker 1: the next few years that factories in six different countries 92 00:06:07,000 --> 00:06:10,280 Speaker 1: were brought on board to help fill the orders. Other 93 00:06:10,480 --> 00:06:16,159 Speaker 1: Cupee merchandise proved just as popular, with Cupie tableware, stationary fabrics, 94 00:06:16,160 --> 00:06:20,400 Speaker 1: and other trinkets selling out across the country. The Keupie 95 00:06:20,440 --> 00:06:25,839 Speaker 1: doll also had international appeal, with the fads spreading across Europe, Australia, 96 00:06:25,920 --> 00:06:29,640 Speaker 1: and even Japan. Later versions of the doll, some made 97 00:06:29,640 --> 00:06:33,000 Speaker 1: from cloth, some from plastic, were among the first mass 98 00:06:33,040 --> 00:06:36,000 Speaker 1: marketed toys in America, as well as the first to 99 00:06:36,040 --> 00:06:40,240 Speaker 1: be distributed worldwide. As a result, the Keupie became the 100 00:06:40,279 --> 00:06:44,320 Speaker 1: most widely known cartoon character in the world until the 101 00:06:44,440 --> 00:06:48,520 Speaker 1: arrival of Mickey Mouse more than a decade later. The 102 00:06:48,560 --> 00:06:51,840 Speaker 1: success of the Cupie Doll made O'Neal a fortune, as 103 00:06:51,880 --> 00:06:55,160 Speaker 1: she had wisely held on to the US trademark and copyrights. 104 00:06:55,760 --> 00:06:58,800 Speaker 1: In the doll's heyday, she earned an estimated one point 105 00:06:58,839 --> 00:07:03,159 Speaker 1: five million dollars from sales, the equivalent of nearly fifty 106 00:07:03,240 --> 00:07:08,559 Speaker 1: million dollars in today's money. Meanwhile, O'Neil continued to draw 107 00:07:08,640 --> 00:07:13,840 Speaker 1: and write professionally. She provided illustrations for national magazines, newspapers, 108 00:07:13,880 --> 00:07:16,720 Speaker 1: and books, and also wrote several novels and books of 109 00:07:16,760 --> 00:07:20,280 Speaker 1: poetry of her own. Of course, She drew plenty more 110 00:07:20,360 --> 00:07:24,080 Speaker 1: cupies too, including as part of ad campaigns for products 111 00:07:24,080 --> 00:07:28,480 Speaker 1: such as Jello and Kellogg's Cornflakes. O'Neil also wrote several 112 00:07:28,560 --> 00:07:31,880 Speaker 1: children's books featuring the cupies and continued to draw them 113 00:07:31,880 --> 00:07:35,360 Speaker 1: in comic strips as well. In addition to being a 114 00:07:35,400 --> 00:07:38,800 Speaker 1: reliable money maker, the cupies also served as a vehicle 115 00:07:38,880 --> 00:07:43,040 Speaker 1: for O'Neill's commentary on social issues. Through the various good 116 00:07:43,080 --> 00:07:47,360 Speaker 1: deeds they performed, the characters championed racial equality and advocated 117 00:07:47,360 --> 00:07:50,680 Speaker 1: for the poor. They also echoed the artist's support for 118 00:07:50,720 --> 00:07:54,920 Speaker 1: the fight for women's right to vote. Starting in nineteen fifteen, 119 00:07:55,200 --> 00:07:58,960 Speaker 1: O'Neil took an increasingly active role in the women's suffrage movement. 120 00:07:59,400 --> 00:08:03,240 Speaker 1: She attended marches, gave speeches, and illustrated posters for her 121 00:08:03,280 --> 00:08:07,680 Speaker 1: fellow activists, some of which featured the Kupies. Some reports 122 00:08:07,680 --> 00:08:10,640 Speaker 1: say she even illustrated a billboard in New York City 123 00:08:10,800 --> 00:08:13,680 Speaker 1: that showed the cupies marching in line for women's right 124 00:08:13,760 --> 00:08:17,040 Speaker 1: to vote, and in nineteen fourteen, there was a rally 125 00:08:17,080 --> 00:08:20,400 Speaker 1: in Nashville where hundreds of rubber cupie dolls dressed in 126 00:08:20,520 --> 00:08:24,200 Speaker 1: suffrage sashes were dropped from a plane onto the crowd below. 127 00:08:24,960 --> 00:08:29,040 Speaker 1: Don't worry, though, they were all wearing tiny parachutes. After 128 00:08:29,080 --> 00:08:32,360 Speaker 1: helping women win the vote in nineteen twenty, O'Neil gave 129 00:08:32,440 --> 00:08:35,080 Speaker 1: the cupies a break and set her sights on becoming 130 00:08:35,120 --> 00:08:38,920 Speaker 1: a fine artist rather than a commercial one. She studied 131 00:08:38,960 --> 00:08:42,880 Speaker 1: in Europe, including under the famous sculptor Auguste Rodin, and 132 00:08:42,960 --> 00:08:46,640 Speaker 1: created a series of drawing, sculptures and paintings which she 133 00:08:46,760 --> 00:08:51,280 Speaker 1: labeled her Sweet Monster Art. It was an apt description too, 134 00:08:51,640 --> 00:08:55,480 Speaker 1: as these experimental works were chock full of mythical animal 135 00:08:55,640 --> 00:09:01,559 Speaker 1: like figures, strange poses, and surrealistic scenes. O'Neill's Monsters were 136 00:09:01,600 --> 00:09:05,520 Speaker 1: exhibited by galleries and museums throughout Western Europe, as well 137 00:09:05,559 --> 00:09:08,800 Speaker 1: as by the Society of Illustrators in New York, where 138 00:09:08,840 --> 00:09:14,000 Speaker 1: she was elected as the group's first female fellow. O'Neill's 139 00:09:14,040 --> 00:09:17,520 Speaker 1: fortune allowed her to live extravagantly for much of her life. 140 00:09:17,840 --> 00:09:21,560 Speaker 1: She traveled extensively and owned property in three different states 141 00:09:21,720 --> 00:09:25,560 Speaker 1: plus Italy. That said, the artist didn't spend all her 142 00:09:25,600 --> 00:09:29,440 Speaker 1: wealth on herself. Far from it. By all accounts, she 143 00:09:29,559 --> 00:09:32,800 Speaker 1: was exceedingly generous with her family and friends, and would 144 00:09:32,880 --> 00:09:36,040 Speaker 1: routinely give money to struggling artists whom she believed in, 145 00:09:36,360 --> 00:09:38,880 Speaker 1: as well as to fans who wrote to her in distress. 146 00:09:39,760 --> 00:09:42,400 Speaker 1: On one occasion, she was even said to have paid 147 00:09:42,440 --> 00:09:46,560 Speaker 1: for every resident of Branson, Missouri, to be immunized against 148 00:09:46,600 --> 00:09:51,120 Speaker 1: smallpox wherever her money went, though it was just about 149 00:09:51,160 --> 00:09:54,800 Speaker 1: all gone by the late nineteen thirties. The qpi's craze 150 00:09:54,800 --> 00:09:58,760 Speaker 1: had finally ended, and photography, rather than illustration, was now 151 00:09:58,800 --> 00:10:03,280 Speaker 1: the medium of choice for newspapers and magazines. This prompted 152 00:10:03,320 --> 00:10:07,160 Speaker 1: O'Neil to retire to her family's Bonniebrook estate in Missouri, 153 00:10:07,240 --> 00:10:09,800 Speaker 1: which had served as a favorite retreat of hers throughout 154 00:10:09,800 --> 00:10:14,800 Speaker 1: her career. There among family and friends, Rose O'Neill passed 155 00:10:14,800 --> 00:10:18,480 Speaker 1: away on April sixth, nineteen forty four, at the age 156 00:10:18,480 --> 00:10:22,760 Speaker 1: of sixty nine. Nearly a century later. The story of 157 00:10:22,760 --> 00:10:26,640 Speaker 1: O'Neill's life and her work continue to influence and inspire 158 00:10:26,800 --> 00:10:30,400 Speaker 1: new artists. Her beloved cubies still pop up from time 159 00:10:30,440 --> 00:10:33,400 Speaker 1: to time too, including on the bottle of the best 160 00:10:33,400 --> 00:10:38,040 Speaker 1: selling mayonnaise brand in Japan, the highly acclaimed Cubie Mayonnaise. 161 00:10:39,000 --> 00:10:42,439 Speaker 1: It's an unusual legacy, to be sure, but given O'Neill's 162 00:10:42,440 --> 00:10:46,880 Speaker 1: personal philosophy. I bet she would approve, as she counseled 163 00:10:46,920 --> 00:10:51,439 Speaker 1: in her autobiography quote, do good deeds in a funny way. 164 00:10:51,960 --> 00:10:55,520 Speaker 1: The world needs to laugh, or at least smile, more 165 00:10:55,760 --> 00:11:02,640 Speaker 1: than it does. I'm Gabe blues Yay, and hopefully you 166 00:11:02,720 --> 00:11:05,800 Speaker 1: now know a little more about history today than you 167 00:11:05,840 --> 00:11:09,000 Speaker 1: did yesterday. If you'd like to keep up with the show, 168 00:11:09,120 --> 00:11:12,480 Speaker 1: you can follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at 169 00:11:12,520 --> 00:11:17,120 Speaker 1: TDI HC Show, and if you have any comments or suggestions, 170 00:11:17,280 --> 00:11:19,600 Speaker 1: feel free to send them my way by writing to 171 00:11:19,679 --> 00:11:24,600 Speaker 1: This Day at iHeartMedia dot com. Thanks to kazb Bias 172 00:11:24,679 --> 00:11:27,240 Speaker 1: for producing the show, and thanks to you for listening. 173 00:11:27,600 --> 00:11:30,560 Speaker 1: I'll see you back here again tomorrow for another day 174 00:11:30,840 --> 00:11:42,679 Speaker 1: in History class.