1928. The original Gerber Baby is Ann Turner, sketched at five months old by artist Dorothy Hope Smith. How old will your Gerber baby be this year?
Fremont Canning Company, owned and operated by Frank Daniel Gerber and his son Daniel Frank Gerber, were looking for a baby face for its new baby-food campaign that was to start in the later part of 1928. To find a baby face that it believed would represent the new baby food best, the Fremont Canning Company conducted a contest in the Summer of 1928. Many drawings and paintings were submitted. Some were elaborate baby portraits in oil paint while others were simple sketches.
Dorothy Hope Smith, of Westport, Connecticut, an artist specializing in children’s drawings, submitted an unfinished charcoal drawing that was closer to a simple sketch than a professional drawing. This five-month-old baby was drawn with tousled hair, bright blue eyes, and round pursed lips. Smith told the judges that, if the sketch was selected as the winner, she would finish it professionally. The drawing won; but, to her surprise, the judges wanted no changes to it.
In 1928, the "Gerber Baby" symbol was introduced to help identify the new product. It was first used in a baby-food advertisement in . Within sixty days, Gerber Strained Foods using the "Gerber Baby" symbol had gained national recognition and it was distributed to various places throughout the United States. It became internationally recognized.
