Phil May (caricaturist)
| Phil May | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
Philip William May April 22, 1864 Wortley, Leeds |
| Died | August 5, 1903 (aged 39) St John's Wood, London |
Philip William May (22 April 1864 – 5 August 1903) was an English caricaturist who, with his vigorous economy of line, played an important role in moving away from Victorian styles of illustration towards the creation of the modern humorous cartoon.
Phil May was born at Wortley, near Leeds, the son of an engineer, who died when Phil was nine years old. His mother was the daughter of Eugene Macarthy, one time manager of the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. She was left in very poor circumstances and the family had a great struggle to exist. Phil's grandfather, a country gentleman, had some talent as a draughtsman and liked making caricatures. At the age of twelve, in Leeds, Phil became friendly with Fred Fox, whose father was the scenic artist at the recently opened Grand Theatre. This gave him a free run of the theatre, where he used to sketch sections of other people's designs for costumes, as well as sketching actors' portraits for which he received a shilling, later rising to five shillings. Another of his contemporaries was Walter Curtis, who became prominent as a music hall comedian and general entertainer. Soon, Phil May had begun to earn his living in a solicitor's office; before he was fifteen he had acted as time-keeper at a foundry, had tried to become a jockey and had been on the stage at Scarborough and Leeds. He was fond of drawing and when only fourteen years old had drawings accepted for the Yorkshire Gossip. When he was about seventeen he went to London with a sovereign in his pocket. He suffered extreme want, sleeping out in the parks and streets, until he obtained employment as designer to a theatrical costumier. He also drew posters and cartoons, and for about two years worked for the St Stephens Review, until he was advised to go to Australia for his health.
...
Wikipedia