William Haselden facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
William Kerridge Haselden
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| Born | 3 December 1872 |
| Died | 25 December 1953 (aged 81) |
| Nationality | British |
William Kerridge Haselden (born December 3, 1872 – died December 25, 1953) was a famous English artist. He was known for drawing funny pictures called cartoons and caricatures. These drawings often made fun of people or situations in a gentle way.
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William Haselden's Early Life
William Haselden was born in Seville, Spain, on December 3, 1872. His parents, Adolphe and Susan, were both English. His father worked as an engineer in Seville.
When William was only two years old, his father passed away during a family trip to England. His family then decided to stay in England and lived in Hampstead. Because of money problems, William had to leave school at age 16. He never had any official art lessons.
His Career as a Cartoonist
For 13 years, William worked at Lloyd's in London, which he didn't enjoy. He started drawing sketches in his free time. Some of his drawings were printed in a magazine called The Sovereign.
After that magazine stopped, he began working for other publications like the Tatler. In 1903, he got a full-time job at a new newspaper, the Daily Mirror. He worked there until he retired in 1940.
Haselden's Unique Drawing Style
At first, William drew political cartoons, which are drawings that comment on government or world events. But soon, he found his own special style. He drew about everyday life, focusing on the habits and styles of middle-class people.
His cartoons usually had one main picture divided into several smaller parts. Because of this, many people see him as the inventor of the British comic strip.
Cartoons During World War I
During World War I, William became very popular for his drawings about the war. He created a funny comic strip called "Big and Little Willie." This series made fun of Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany and his son, the Crown Prince.
In 1915, a book of these cartoons was published. It was called The Sad Adventures of Big and Little Willie. Interestingly, the first British tank prototype was also named Little Willie that same year.
Predicting the Future in Cartoons
William Haselden often drew about new social trends and technologies. He would make funny predictions about what the future might look like. For example, he drew about future fashion, camera phones, and even women's rights.
From 1906, he also drew for Punch magazine, where he made funny drawings of actors and plays. He stopped working for Punch in 1936 because he started to lose his hearing. Many famous people admired his work.
William Haselden's Later Life and Death
In 1907, William married Eleanor Charlotte Lane-Bayliff. They had two children, Celia and John. William lived in London for most of his working life.
Later, he spent more time at his family's vacation home in Aldeburgh, Suffolk. He eventually retired there. William Haselden passed away peacefully on Christmas Day, 1953.
His Lasting Impact
When William died, The Times newspaper wrote about him. They said his work was always "unfailingly amiable," meaning it was always kind and friendly. The newspaper also said his cartoons were a great way to learn about society at that time. They praised him for being an artist who could be funny without being mean.
