Oliver Herford

Oliver Herford – Life, Work, and Witty Legacy

Explore the life, humor, and artistry of Oliver Herford — Anglo-American author, illustrator, and “American Oscar Wilde.” Dive into his witty aphorisms, illustrated verses, and lasting influence.

Introduction

Oliver Herford (born December 2, 1860 [or sometimes given as 1863] – died July 5, 1935) was an Anglo-American writer, humorist, poet, and illustrator whose distinctive blend of wit, visual elegance, and light verse earned him comparison to Oscar Wilde. His playful aphorisms, illustrated poems (often about animals or nature), and gift-books made him a beloved figure in magazines and salons at the turn of the 20th century.

Though his fame today is more niche, Herford’s work remains a model of how words, images, and brevity can combine to amuse, provoke, and enchant.

Early Life and Family

Oliver Herford was born in Sheffield, England on December 2, 1860 (though some sources cite 1863).

Oliver had a sister, Beatrice Herford, who became known as a monologist and humorist in her own right. Growing up in a household steeped in literature, religion, and conversation likely shaped his early sensibility toward language, paradox, and humor.

Education and Formative Years

After immigrating, Herford attended Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio (circa 1877–1879). Slade School of Fine Art in London and at the Académie Julian in Paris.

These artistic studies sharpened his facility with line, composition, and the economy of visual form — skills that would become as essential to his work as his verbal wit.

Career, Style & Major Works

Publishing in Magazines & Early Reputation

By the 1890s, Herford had established himself in New York City, where his drawings, cartoons, and humorous verse began appearing in leading periodicals like Life, Harper’s Weekly, Century Magazine, Punch, The Masses, The Mentor, and Ladies’ Home Journal. “O Herford.”

Herford’s approach to combining words and images was elegant and balanced: captions and illustrations functioned in dialogue, not mere accompaniment. His wit was gentle, ironic, and delivered with a kind of refined austerity.

He was sometimes nicknamed “the American Oscar Wilde” for his polished paradoxes and social grace, though his tone was more whimsical than biting.

Book Publications & Gift Works

Over his lifetime, Herford authored—or co-authored—and illustrated more than 30 books. Many were gift books, illustrated verses, or parodic treatments of serious forms. Some of his notable works include:

• The Little Book of Bores (1906)

• The Rubáiyát of a Persian Kitten (1904) — a playful feline parody of the Rubáiyát.

• Overheard in a Garden (verses of anthropomorphized plants).

• A Child’s Primer of Natural History, in which animals deliver witty observations.

• The Simple Jography; or How to Know the Earth and Why It Spins (1908) — a light satirical cosmography.

• Excuse It, Please (1930) — a later collection of brief witticisms.

• Neither Here Nor There (1922) — collections of short humorous pieces.

He also collaborated with other writers and illustrators, most notably John Cecil Clay (on volumes like Cupid’s Cyclopedia) and with Ethel Watts Mumford and Addison Mizner in the Cynic’s Calendar series.

A memorable story: the Cynic’s Calendar of Revised Wisdom (1903) was initially published by Mumford and Mizner as a witticism. They added Herford’s name (perhaps for marketing). When he discovered this, he demanded 90 % of the royalties; ultimately, he received one third and thereafter contributed to later editions.

Visual Style & Aesthetic Sensibility

Herford’s line work is lean, economical, with an emphasis on negative space. He seemed to treat each page as a stage, balancing verse and image, formality and play.

His humor was rarely cruel. Instead, it leaned toward gentle irony, playful observation, and whimsical moral insight. He made animals or plants act out human folly in short, sharp turns.

Personality and Public Image

Herford was known as a pleasant, genial presence in New York literary and artistic circles, a longtime member of the Players Club in Manhattan. The New York Times’ obituary, his wit is described as “too original at first … odd, unexpected … no violence, no obscenity … an old-fashioned gentleman … whose work had edge, grace, and distinction.”

He was somewhat dandyish in style (according to anecdotes), preferring a consistent wardrobe: one story recounts that someone asked him why his suits were always the same color. He replied, “Saves me a world of trouble; when spring comes, I merely send a sample of my dandruff to the tailor and have him match it.”

He married Margaret Regan, an Englishwoman, on May 26, 1905, in New York.

Herford died on July 5, 1935, in New York. His wife died later that same year in December.

Legacy and Influence

Oliver Herford’s legacy is in the niche but enduring form of illustrated epigrams, light verse, and humor books that fuse art and wit. Some features of his influence:

• His style remains a reference point for cartoonists, illustrators, and writers seeking economy and elegance in combining text and image.

• His aphorisms, though occasional, have circulated widely — many are still quoted in anthologies of humor or quotations.

• He helped sustain the tradition of the “gift book” or “plate book” of witty poems and illustrations in the early 20th century.

• His playful parodies of serious poetic forms (e.g. Rubáiyát of a Persian Kitten) foreshadow later pastiches and illustrated humor books.

• Though not widely known to general audiences today, his work is appreciated in literary and art-humor circles and among collectors of fine illustrated books.

Selected Quotes

Here are a few memorable lines attributed to Oliver Herford, showing his flavor:

• “A woman’s mind is cleaner than a man’s: she changes it more often.”

• “Cat: a pygmy lion who loves mice, hates dogs, and patronizes human beings.”

• “Many are called but few get up.”

• “Manuscript: something submitted in haste and returned at leisure.”

• “Tact is to lie about others as you would have them lie about you.”

• “There is no time like the pleasant.”

These showcase his gentle irony, word-play, and capacity for a quick turn of phrase.

Lessons from Oliver Herford

1. Brevity with density. One can say much with little — a short epigram, a single drawing, a few lines — if each element is chosen with care.

2. Harmonize word and image. Herford’s work shows that in illustrated writing, the caption and the picture should complement, not compete.

3. Humor with kindness. His wit rarely cuts deep; it teases human foibles while remaining amiable.

4. Parody to sharpen insight. By parodying elevated forms (like the Rubáiyát) using cats, he invites readers to see how much of poetic seriousness is affect.

5. Consistency of voice. Over decades, he stayed with his temperament, aesthetic, and attention to formal balance, rather than chasing popular fads.

Conclusion

Oliver Herford may not be a household name today, but among those who love witty illustrated verse, he is a quietly luminous presence. His craftsmanship in marrying visual line and verbal sparkle, his gentle but sharp humor, and his dedication to a polished, modest aesthetic stand as testament to a mode of artistry that prizes discipline and delight.