Leech John

Leech, John (1817-64), English draughtsman and humorist, was born in London and educated at Charterhouse, where lie was the contemporary of Thackeray. He early displayed skill as a caricaturist,- and when he betook himself to the study of medicine at St. Bartholomew's Hospital he was noted for the excellence of his anatomical drawings. He published a set of Etchings and Sketchings at the age of 18, and in 1838 he was at work on Bell's Life. In 1841 he made his appearance in Punch, and remained for life a member of its staff. His cartoons and his plates illustrative of various phases of social life are well known to all readers. of Punch. He also worked for Once a Week, The Illustrated London News, Hood's Comic Annual, Charles Dickens's Comic Histories, the Handle// Cross series of sporting novels, and the Bon Gaultier Ballads.