An English black-and-white draughtsman, with an almost unique experience of pictorial comedy in Germany, America, and this country, is Mr. Leslie Willson, for years one of the chief artists of the New York Judge, and latterly art editor of Pick-Me-Up. Mr. Willson, with his wide experience of comic achievements, says:—
"The very funniest pictures I ever saw were by that astonishingly clever Franco-Russian, Emmanuel Poiré, otherwise 'Caran d'Ache.' The particular set I have in mind depicted a scene in a barber's shop, where the customer's hair, standing on end from horror, defies all the barber's attempts to curl it. There are other funny things from Caran d'Ache's pencil, but this, I think, is the funniest." These are the drawings reproduced on the opposite page.
Parrot: "Here he comes again. If he pulls another feather out I'll fly away!"
By H. Grattan in the "Pelican."
SELECTED BY MR. JOHN HASSALL.
Mr. John Hassall, whose work is familiar to all, writes to say:—
"The most humorous drawing I have ever seen was in the Christmas number of the Pelican, some few years back, of a parrot with one feather sticking out of its tail—the rest bare—sitting on its perch, and a pot-boy in the background. Below was the inscription: 'Here he comes again. If he pulls another feather out I'll fly away!' It was by an actor, I fancy. For the most humorous artist I should plump for Zim. Zimmerman, who draws for New York Judge. About ten years ago his work was, to my mind, always exceedingly humorous."
"An Incident in the Middle Ages."—By Linley Sambourne in "Punch."
SELECTED BY MR. WILLIAM PARKINSON.
A draughtsman with a keen sense of humour is Mr. William Parkinson. He writes:—
"For real funniness, I think A. B. Frost, the American, is very hard to beat; especially in some of his picture-stories in the last pages of Scribner or the Century. I should call his book of drawings, 'The Good-Natured Man and the Bull Calf,' a masterpiece of humour. Linley Sambourne also is a master and an artist too, and some of his drawings for Punch's Almanacks are real masterpieces. 'An Incident in the Middle Ages,' where a poor knight in armour is tormented under his mail shirt by a persistent——Well, the fancy is tickled as much as was the poor knight."