Charles L. (Charles Larcom) Graves

Born in 1856, Charles Larcom Graves was an Irish-born writer, journalist, and editor who spent most of his career in Britain. He became closely associated with two major periodicals, Punch and The Spectator, and built a reputation as a polished, intelligent observer of politics, society, and literature.

Graves is especially remembered for works that mix history with the satirical spirit of Punch, including his multi-volume Mr. Punch's History of Modern England. He also wrote literary and biographical studies, bringing a lively, readable style to subjects that might otherwise have seemed dry. His career reflects the world of late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century British journalism at its most literary.

He died in 1944. Graves is also noted as the uncle of poet and novelist Robert Graves, a reminder that he belonged to a wider family circle deeply connected to English literary life.