Tom Browne (illustrator)
Encyclopedia
Tom Browne born Thomas Arthur Browne (8 December 1870 Nottingham
- 16 March 1910 Shooter's Hill
), was an extremely popular English strip cartoonist, painter and illustrator of the late Victorian and Edwardian periods.
Browne started earning a wage as a milliner's errand boy in 1882. From there he was apprenticed to a lithographic printer and eked out a living with freelance cartoons for London comic papers. He received 30 shillings for his first strip, published by the magazine Scraps, and called "He Knew How To Do It".
Comic Cuts
, a British comic book was founded by Alfred Harmsworth in 1890. Cheaply printed, it proved to be the ideal medium for Browne's bold drawing style. Browne's comic strips soon became so popular that he moved to London and into a studio in Wollaton House at Westcombe Park
. Here he turned out six full-page strips a week, but also managed to produce illustrations for several British magazines. His cartoons appeared in Punch
, The Tatler and other highly rated periodicals of the day. The logo of Johnnie Walker
whiskey, the strutting, monocled character, was created by Browne in 1909.
Browne was a founding member of the London Sketch Club
, was publicly acclaimed and was made a Royal Illustrator. His cycling trips took him all over the world, while illustrations of these exploits appeared in the newspapers. Returning to Nottingham, he started a colour printing firm and joined the Territorial Army.
He also created the comic strip 'Weary Willy and Tired Tim', inspired by Don Quixote and Sancho Panza
, which appeared on the front page of Illustrated Chips
from 1896 to 1953. Browne played a major part in the evolution of the British comic style, influencing Bruce Bairnsfather
, Dudley Watkins and Leo Baxendale
. His strip 'Airy Alf and Bouncing Billy' first appeared in The Big Budget around 1900, and was later continued by Ralph Hodgson aka "Yorick". His comic, Dan Leno
, portrayed the Victorian English music hall comedian and appeared in Dan Leno's Comic Journal in 1898. Echoes of his impudent urchins can still be seen in The Beano
and The Dandy
today.
More of his characters were 'Little Willy and Tiny Tim', 'Mr. Stankey Deadstone and Company', 'The Rajah' and 'Don Quixote de Tintogs'. Browne died after surgery for cancer at the age of 39. He was buried with military honours at Shooter's Hill
.
Nottingham
Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
- 16 March 1910 Shooter's Hill
Shooter's Hill
Shooter's Hill is a district and electoral ward in south London, England, located in the London Borough of Greenwich. It lies east of Blackheath and west of Welling, south of Woolwich and north of Eltham...
), was an extremely popular English strip cartoonist, painter and illustrator of the late Victorian and Edwardian periods.
Browne started earning a wage as a milliner's errand boy in 1882. From there he was apprenticed to a lithographic printer and eked out a living with freelance cartoons for London comic papers. He received 30 shillings for his first strip, published by the magazine Scraps, and called "He Knew How To Do It".
Comic Cuts
Comic Cuts
Comic Cuts was a British comic book. It was created by the reporter, Alfred Harmsworth through his company Amalgamated Press . It was published from 1890 to 1953, lasting 3006 issues, and in its early days inspired other publishers to produce rival comics. It's first issue was an assortment of...
, a British comic book was founded by Alfred Harmsworth in 1890. Cheaply printed, it proved to be the ideal medium for Browne's bold drawing style. Browne's comic strips soon became so popular that he moved to London and into a studio in Wollaton House at Westcombe Park
Westcombe Park
This article is about the London district. See Westcombe Park rugby club for details of the rugby club - now based in Orpington.Westcombe Park is a largely residential area in Blackheath in the London Borough of Greenwich, south-east London, England....
. Here he turned out six full-page strips a week, but also managed to produce illustrations for several British magazines. His cartoons appeared in Punch
Punch (magazine)
Punch, or the London Charivari was a British weekly magazine of humour and satire established in 1841 by Henry Mayhew and engraver Ebenezer Landells. Historically, it was most influential in the 1840s and 50s, when it helped to coin the term "cartoon" in its modern sense as a humorous illustration...
, The Tatler and other highly rated periodicals of the day. The logo of Johnnie Walker
Johnnie Walker
Johnnie Walker is a brand of Scotch Whisky owned by Diageo and originated in Kilmarnock, Ayrshire, Scotland.It is the most widely distributed brand of blended Scotch whisky in the world, sold in almost every country with yearly sales of over 130 million bottles.-History:Originally known as Walker's...
whiskey, the strutting, monocled character, was created by Browne in 1909.
Browne was a founding member of the London Sketch Club
London Sketch Club
The London Sketch Club was founded on 1 April 1898 as a social club for artists working in the field of commercial graphic art, mainly for newspapers, periodicals and books. The founder members were Dudley Hardy, Phil May, Walter Fowler, Lance Thackeray, Cecil Aldin, W Sanders Fiske, Walter...
, was publicly acclaimed and was made a Royal Illustrator. His cycling trips took him all over the world, while illustrations of these exploits appeared in the newspapers. Returning to Nottingham, he started a colour printing firm and joined the Territorial Army.
He also created the comic strip 'Weary Willy and Tired Tim', inspired by Don Quixote and Sancho Panza
Sancho Panza
Sancho Panza is a fictional character in the novel Don Quixote written by Spanish author Don Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra in 1605. Sancho acts as squire to Don Quixote, and provides comments throughout the novel, known as sanchismos, that are a combination of broad humour, ironic Spanish proverbs,...
, which appeared on the front page of Illustrated Chips
Illustrated Chips
Illustrated Chips was a British comic published between 26 July 1890 and 12 September 1953. It was produced by Alfred Harmsworth and his Amalgamated Press.After a brief initial run of six issues, Illustrated Chips was relaunched and ran for 2,997 issues...
from 1896 to 1953. Browne played a major part in the evolution of the British comic style, influencing Bruce Bairnsfather
Bruce Bairnsfather
Captain Bruce Bairnsfather was a prominent British humorist and cartoonist. His best-known cartoon character is Old Bill...
, Dudley Watkins and Leo Baxendale
Leo Baxendale
Leo Baxendale is a British cartoonist, who was the creator of the classic Beano strips Little Plum , Minnie the Minx , The Bash Street Kids and The Three Bears .Leo Baxendale was at the end of his National Service days in the RAF, when he decided he...
. His strip 'Airy Alf and Bouncing Billy' first appeared in The Big Budget around 1900, and was later continued by Ralph Hodgson aka "Yorick". His comic, Dan Leno
Dan Leno
Dan Leno , born George Wild Galvin, was an English comedian and actor, famous for appearing in music hall and dozens of comic plays, pantomimes, Victorian burlesques and musical comedies during the Victorian era...
, portrayed the Victorian English music hall comedian and appeared in Dan Leno's Comic Journal in 1898. Echoes of his impudent urchins can still be seen in The Beano
The Beano
The Beano is a British children's comic, published by D.C. Thomson & Co and is arguably their most successful.The comic first appeared on 30 July 1938, and was published weekly. During the Second World War,The Beano and The Dandy were published on alternating weeks because of paper and ink...
and The Dandy
The Dandy
The Dandy is a long running children's comic published in the United Kingdom by D. C. Thomson & Co. Ltd. The first issue was printed in 1937 and it is the world's third longest running comic, after Detective Comics and Il Giornalino...
today.
More of his characters were 'Little Willy and Tiny Tim', 'Mr. Stankey Deadstone and Company', 'The Rajah' and 'Don Quixote de Tintogs'. Browne died after surgery for cancer at the age of 39. He was buried with military honours at Shooter's Hill
Shooter's Hill
Shooter's Hill is a district and electoral ward in south London, England, located in the London Borough of Greenwich. It lies east of Blackheath and west of Welling, south of Woolwich and north of Eltham...
.