William Heath Robinson(1872-1944) began his career illustrating works of poetry and children's stories. At magazines such asThe Sketch, he developed his humorous illustrations for adults, culminating in the series of inventions for which he became known by his contemporaries as 'The Gadget King'.
'Your absurd, beautiful drawings... give me a peculiar pleasure of the mind like nothing else in the world' H. G. Wells, in a letter to Heath Robinson in 1914