Image of Oliver Herford

Timeline

Lifetime: 1860 - 1935 Passed: ≈ 88 years ago

Title

English Writer, Artist, Illustrator.

Country/Nationality

United Kingdom
Wikipedia

Oliver Herford

Oliver Herford was an English writer, artist, and illustrator.  

  

He was born in Sheffield, England on 2 December 1860 to Rev. Brooke Herford and Hannah Hankinson Herford. Oliver's father, Brooke, was a Unitarian minister who moved the family to Chicago in 1876 and to Boston in 1882. Oliver attended Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio from 1877 to 1879. Later he studied art at the Slade School in London and the Académie Julien in Paris. Afterward, he moved to New York, where he lived until his death. He has been called "The American Oscar Wilde". As a frequent contributor to The Mentor, Life, and Ladies' Home Journal, he sometimes signed his artwork as "O Herford". In 1906 he wrote and illustrated the Little Book of Bores. He also wrote short poems like "The Chimpanzee" and "The Hen", as well as writing and illustrating "The Rubaiyat of a Persian Kitten" (1904) and "Excuse It Please" (1930). His sister Beatrice Herford was also a humorist.  

  

Ethel Mumford and Addison Mizner wrote a small book, The Cynic's Calendar of Revised Wisdom for 1903, as a Christmas present and added Herford's name as an author as a joke. The printer made up more copies to sell and to everyone's surprise it was an astounding success. When Herford found out about it he wanted 90% of the royalties. He was awarded an equal third.  

  

Herford's cartoons and humorous verse appeared in journals such as Life, Woman's Home Companion, Century Magazine, Harper's Weekly, The Masses and Punch. Over 30 books illustrated by Herford, and frequently written by him as well, were published from the 1890s to the 1930s. He also wrote plays and was known for his humorous and pithy bon mots. Herford was a longtime member of the Players Club in New York City. He married Margaret Regan in New York on May 26, 1904. Herford died on July 5, 1935 and his wife died the following December. 

Books by Oliver Herford

This Giddy Globe Cover image

This Giddy Globe

Humour
Geography Fun

Is there a genre called FUN? Yes, and this is it! Insanely humorous geography that will have you rolling on the floor laughing with your sides hurting.

Cupid's Cyclopedia Cover image

Cupid's Cyclopedia

Satire
Love Romance Journey Humorous Fiction Courtship Observation Humanity Experiences Wits

"Cupid's Cyclopedia" is a captivating anthology of poetic brilliance and humorous observations by the renowned writer and illustrator, Oliver Herford. Within its pages, readers are beckoned into a realm where love reigns supreme, and the mischievous...

Neither Here nor There Cover image

Neither Here nor There

Poetry
Escape Adventure Poems Suspense Absurdity Illusions Magic

A whimsical collection of poems, stories, and illustrations that will transport you to a world of make-believe. Neither Here nor There is a delightful collection of poems, stories, and illustrations by Oliver Herford. Herford was a master of whimsy,...