In the world of illustrators, the man who can originate an idea which
excites the laughter and holds the attention of the public is indeed
fortunate. Such an individual is R. F. Outcault, the artistic father of
the “Buster Brown” series which appear in the Sunday New York Herald.
He is also the author of the “Yellow Kid” and “Hogan’s Alley” pictures
of the Sunday New York World, and of equally laughable creations in
the New York American and other publications. Born in Lancaster, Ohio,
January 14, 1853, he was educated in that town. In 1888 he secured
a position with Edison, and went to Paris in the inventor’s employ.
Returning to this country, he illustrated for some time with a fair
degree of success, but it was not until 1894 that he made his first
distinctive hit as a comic artist. Mr. Outcault’s personal description
of his daily life is interesting. He says: “I have flowers, a garden,
a dog and a cat, good music, good books, light stories, draw pictures,
smoke a pipe, talk single tax theories, am a member of a couple of
clubs, lead the Simple Life.”