Today in History - 1874

Rose O'Neill was born in this day in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. At age thirteen, O'Neill won a children's art contest. Winning the contest gave her inspirations to pursue her career in illustration and she began a weekly cartoon series for the Omaha World Herald. She published artwork in various magazines, newspapers and books and remained focused on her career as an illustrator going on to gain recognition in France, awarded with the associate of the Société des Beaux Arts. Her most famous success can be seen in elf-like creature in 1909 which became the wildly popular Kewpie doll to accompany her magazine stories. She is credited with writing and illustrating more than 5,000 Kewpie stories.