In 1928, Gerber became the best when it came to baby products. Dorothy Hope Smith, a neighbor of Cook’s who drew an adorable portrait of her in 1926 when she was just a few months old, made her famous. Last week, at the age of 95, Cook passed away, and the company that has used her face on its packaging
“Many years before becoming an extraordinary mother, teacher, and writer, her smile and expressive curiosity captured hearts everywhere and will continue to live on as a symbol for all babies,” Gerber wrote in a post.
In 1926, when Portrait of an American was released, Rosemary Cooke was a newborn. From the time she was born until she was just a few months old, Rosemary Cooke’s face had been seen all over the country. Gerber opened up a contest for people to submit art depicting their favorite children’s foods, which included charcoal renderings
When Dorothy Smith heard Gerber’s description of the charcoal drawing, she exclaimed that if she won, they would have to make it into an oil painting. They enjoyed the sketch so much, however, that they decided to keep it as is.
Gerber did not register its iconic picture of Cook until 1991, and then they copyrighted it in 1993 as the image became increasingly popular throughout the world.
For years, Gerber kept the identity of its baby a secret until 1978, when it conducted a poll to see if fans could guess the model. She didn’t find out she was the Gerber child until she was three years old. But when she did know, she was ecstatic.
“I was probably about three years old when mother pointed at a baby food jar and said that was my picture,” she said in an interview with CBS Sunday Mornings in 2013. “I thought it was quite a lovely thing.”
“My own children (would) go through a grocery store and point to the Gerber baby food and say, ‘That’s my mother’s picture,’” said Cook. This is something that any youngster would tell their grandmother.
The Gerber baby has been pushing the envelope of who they consider to be their iconic baby for decades. The firm selects a new infant face for Gerber each year. Lucas Warren was Gerber’s first-ever down syndrome baby in 2018.
“We’re hoping this will impact everyone — that it will shed a little bit of light on the special needs community and help more individuals with special needs be accepted and not limited,” his father, Jason, stated.
“I didn’t know whether to stop and explain because it’s kind of a complicated story or just kind of grin and go on,” Cook added.
The original Gerber baby sketch is on display at the company’s headquarters in Fremont, Michigan.
Did you use Gerber products for the babies in your household?
