Richard Doyle

Richard "Dickie" Doyle (September 1824 –11 December 1883) was a notable illustrator of the Victorian era. His work frequently appeared, amongst other places, in Punch magazine; he drew the cover of the first issue, and designed the magazine's masthead, a design that was used for over a century.Born at 17 Cambridge Terrace, London, one of seven children of Irish cartoonist John Doyle (known as 'H.B'), a noted political caricaturist, two of his brothers, James and Charles, were also artists. The young Doyle had no formal art training other than his father's studio, but from an early age displayed a gifted ability to depict scenes of the fantastic and grotesque. Throughout his life he was fascinated by fairy tales. He produced his first complete illustrated book, Home for the Holidays, when he was 12; it was published posthumously in 1887.He joined the staff of Punch in 1843 aged 19, remaining there for seven years. His iconic cover for the Punch magazine was used for many years after his death.He produced 11 books of his own between 1840 and 1887, his last five being published posthumously, as well as illustrating many for other authors including Thackeray, Mark Lemon and Ruskin.He exhibited regularly at the Grosvenour Galleries and also at the Royal Academy in 1868 and 1871.He was the uncle of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, author of the Sherlock Holmes stories.