HENDLERS: The Velvet Kind, An Image Gallery Part 2

Article by Rachel Kassman. Originally published in Generations 2011 – 2012: Jewish Foodways.

Missed the beginning? Start here.

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What’s a Kewpie?

These cherubic characters, inspired by the Roman god of desire Cupid, first appeared in the Ladies Home Journal in 1909. Created by illustrator Rose O’Neill, the Kewpie has graced everything from books to pianos to ice cream advertisements.  Hendler Creamery Company used the Kewpie as its mascot for many years – Manuel Hendler even had a few ties with Kewpies hand-painted on the silk by Ms. O’Neill.

Rose O’Neill (1874-1944) was a prolific artist, inventor and suffragette. She produced art and illustrations for Harper’s,  Life, Collier’s, and Puck, among many others, published four novels and a poetry collection (all of which she illustrated) and exhibited her work both in the United States and abroad. She even inspired a song, “Rose of Washington Square! You can learn more about Rose HERE and HERE.

Sennett Bathing Beauties

These Sennett Bathing Beauties demonstrate that ice cream is for all seasons, from Christmas to the Fourth of July! Beginning in 1915, Mack Sennett, the “innovator of slapstick comedy in film,” brought together a group of girls known as the Sennett Bathing Beauties to appear in comedy shorts, promotional material, and at promotional events. The somewhat risqué nature of the group – being photographed in bathing costumes – proved a popular marketing device. Hendler Creamery Company clearly decided to capitalize on the phenomenon.

Continue to Part III of HENDLERS: The Velvet Kind, An Image Gallery