The Fairy Illustraions of M. T. Ross
by M. T. (Penny) Ross (1881 – 1937 American)
Marion T. Ross (1881 – 1937 American) affectionately nicknamed ‘Penny’, was a popular comic artist and children’s book illustrator from the early 1900’s. During his early career he lived in Oak Park, Illinois and owned a studio (Penny Ross Advertising Company) in downtown Chicago. in 1926 he moved to Southern California where he worked as a co-worker with Walt Disney, and also as a set designer for several area studios until 1937, the year of his death at the age of 56.
by Anna M. Scott, illustrated by M.T. Ross (1914)
During the 1910s and 1920s, he created several comic strips. With R.F. Outcault, he illustrated the Buster Brown series in its later years (1906 – 1923). Working as a newspaper cartoonist for the Chicago Tribune, he authored and illustrated the popular Sunday comic ‘Mamma’s Angel Child’ (1908-1923), Due to its popularity, it was syndicated across 25 national newspapers over 15 years. He also worked as a self-employed commercial artist, creating illustrations for numerous publications.
He also illustrated a number of children’s books, primarily between 1910 – 1915. Titles included ‘The Flower Babies Book’, ‘The Flower Children’ (1910), ‘Bird Children’ (1912), ‘Animal Children’ (1913) and ‘Butterfly Babies’ written by Elizabeth Gordon in (1914), His primary book with fairies was ‘A Year with the Fairies’, written by Anna M. Scott also published in (1914), which is of course, the focus of this article.
Last, these images show M. T. Ross’s distinct style, based in his cartoon type of illustration, but also with a very freehand rendering and watercoloring. These images also carry a very strong feel of the early 1900’s in his drawing, content and activities.
M. T. (Penny) Ross Selected Images
