Who is Rose O'Neill?

Rose O'Neill was one of the most prolific artists of the 19th and 20th Centuries.  She was the first woman cartoonist in America and the first woman staff artist at Puck Magazine.  O'Neill illustrated for magazines during the Golden Age of Illustration.  She worked alongside such notables as Charles Dana Gibson, J.C. Leyendecker, and James Montgomery Flagg.  Some of the other publications she worked for include The Great Divide, Truth, Life, Harpers, Cosmopolitan, Ladies Home Journal, Woman's Home Companion, and Good Housekeeping.

O'Neill was born in 1874 in Wilkes Barre Pennsylvania.  She lived until 1944 and is laid to rest at her beloved home, Bonniebrook.  There is an art gallery and museum there devoted solely to her works.

Rose O'Neill was first and foremost an artist.  She made her living as an illustrator.  She was a published author, a sculptor, an activist, and a marketing genius.  The purpose of this blog is to reintroduce this amazing woman to a new generation of admirers.  I hope you will enjoy learning about the incredible Rose O'Neill!

Below is a small sample of some of her early illustrations.