Kewpies to The Rescue to Help the Downtrodden in Slums Feminist Art

Occasionally, one discovers a thinker and creator who is generations ahead of their time. So is the case with Rose Cecil O'Neill, who was active at the turn of the 19th to 20th century. In the present work, we see the trailblazing female artist/social activist shine a light on the hardships and inequities of turn-of-the-century tenement life in America. Her narrative illustration depicts a woman slaving away at a sewing machine while her child is held captive in a high chair, eliciting great empathy in the viewer. An empty can of sardines and a broken coffee cup in the foreground add to the scene's misery quotient.
Fear not. Hope is on its way in the form of O'Neill's angelic Kewpies, offering empathy and emotional support to the hardships of working women.
What Jacob Reis did with a camera, Rose Oneill does with a pen
This pen-and-ink depiction of working-class squalor packs an emotional punch that still resonates with viewers today. The caption reads: Tied in his highchair all the day. No air, no proper food, no play.
The original pen-and-ink-on-paper illustration is titled in pencil in the lower left and signed in the lower right.
22 x 29 inches
US$40,000 plus shipping