(AP) – A Missouri museum is telling the story of the inventor of the wide-eyed iconic Kewpie doll in a new exhibit.
The Joplin Globe reports that the Rose O’Neill exhibit opened last week and remains on display through Aug. 5 at the Springfield Art Museum.
O’Neill created the Kewpie character in 1909 in her studio near Branson, and the illustrations appeared in a women’s magazine. A German factory made the first dolls in 1912, and they quickly became a global sensation.
O’Neill also was an author, illustrator, poet, inventor and suffragist. Curator Sarah Buhr says O’Neill “created a life on her own terms.”
The exhibit includes 150 objects, including illustrations, paintings and drawings, which are on loan from museums and private collections.
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