William Giles Baxter

William Giles Baxter (1856–1888) was a Victorian cartoonist and illustrator. His most noted work, from 1884 until his death, was for the weekly comic Ally Sloper's Half Holiday.^[1]

Baxter had previously worked for the Manchester-based satiric magazine Momus/Comus before joining the staff at Judy, whose editor, Charles Henry Ross, had created Ally Sloper, considered the first comic hero,^[2] in 1867. When Ross sold the rights to Gilbert Dalziel, Baxter was taken on to further develop the character. On his death, the illustrations were continued by W. F. Thomas.

References

1. Brake, Laurel and Demoor Marysa (2009). Dictionary of Nineteenth-century Journalism in Great Britain and Ireland. Academia Press. pp. 40–41.
2. "Scope and highlights." The British Comics Collection at The British Library. Retrieved 6 July 2014.