May 5, 1856

You may not know who W. W. Denslow (May 5, 1856 to May 27, 1915) is, but you have seen his pictures. Denslow did the original illustrations for The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. He was heavily involved in poliitcal caricature also, but scholars are not sure if his 'cowardly lion' has a political subtext.

Denslow was the first artist invited to participate in the Roycroft Press. His cartoon, "Billy Bounce" had one of the first superheroes. Denslow did the costumes and sets for the stage version of the Wizard (1902) and when he insisted on getting one third of the royalties, as an equal partner with Baum, and the composer, the rancor led to a permanent rift with Baum.

Denslow was a self educated artist who knocked around America before settling in Chicago. We can assume that the cowardly lion was not a self-portrait.