Our first two portraits represent Mr. George R. Sims before he had
become famous, though at sixteen he was already a keen observer of life
and character. At twenty-four he was writing for several magazines and
papers, and six years later he became a member of the staff of _The
Referee_, under the now celebrated _nom de plume_ of "Dagonet." His
first play, "Crutch and Toothpick," was produced in 1879 with great
success. Then came, in 1881, "The Lights o' London"--a play which has
now been running for ten years.
[Illustration: _From a_| AGE 7. |_Photograph._]
[Illustration: _From a_| AGE 16. |_Photograph._]
[Illustration: _From a Photo. by_| AGE 24. |_G. & R. Lavis._]
[Illustration: _From a Photo. by_| AGE 42. |_Bassano._]
[Illustration: _From a_| AGE 17. |_Daguerreotype._]
[Illustration: _From a Photo. by_| AGE 38. |_Lock & Whitfield_]