The bachelor’s last Christmas eve
Subject(s): Bachelors, Butlers, Christmas, Cupid (Roman deity), Fireplaces, Marriage, Men's clothing, Thought and thinking
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A pensive bachelor sits in front of a fireplace on Christmas Eve. The figure of Cupid stands before an open suitcase, its contents strewn about the floor, as a butler nervously attends to the clothes. The bachelor’s distress arises from his holiday solitude.
Comments and Context
A popular theme of cartoonists in these times was the contrast of convivial lifestyles of unmarried society types and loneliness at holiday times. Rose O’Neill explored this theme no less than fellow cartoonists, but this pioneer female artist also specialized in the subjects of children, her creations The Kewpies, illustrations for romance novels, and, later in life erotic sculptures. She was also a writer and poet. Born in the Ozarks, at the time of this cartoon she was married to the society lion and inventor Gray Latham. Soon after this cartoon’s publication she divorced Latham and married Puck‘s editor, the popular humorist Harry Leon Wilson.
Collection
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs
Creation Date
1900-12-12
Creator(s)
O'Neill, Rose Cecil, 1874-1944
Period
Governor of New York (October 1898-1900)
Repository
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division
Page Count
1
Record Type
Image
Resource Type
Rights
These images are presented through a cooperative effort between the Library of Congress and Dickinson State University. No known restrictions on publication.
Citation
Cite this Record
Chicago:
The bachelor’s last Christmas eve. [December 12, 1900]. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o275689. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
O’Neill, Rose Cecil, 1874-1944. The bachelor’s last Christmas eve. [12 Dec. 1900]. Image.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. March 5, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o275689.
APA:
O’Neill, Rose Cecil, 1874-1944., [1900, December 12]. The bachelor’s last Christmas eve.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o275689.
Cite this Collection
Chicago:
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/library-of-congress-prints-and-photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. March 5, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/library-of-congress-prints-and-photographs.
APA:
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/library-of-congress-prints-and-photographs.
