author
Livingston Hopkins
1846–1927
An American-born cartoonist who became one of Australia’s best-known illustrators, he built a long career turning sharp political observation into lively, memorable drawings. Working under the name “Hop,” he helped shape the visual character of satirical journalism on both sides of the Pacific.
1 Audiobook
A Comic History of the United States
by Livingston Hopkins
About the author
Born in Bellefontaine, Ohio, on July 7, 1846, Livingston Yourtee Hopkins showed an early gift for caricature and later worked as a freelance cartoonist and illustrator in New York. He contributed to American illustrated papers and magazines during the 1870s before leaving for Australia in the early 1880s.
In Sydney, he became famous as “Hop,” especially through his work for The Bulletin. His cartoons and caricatures made him a major figure in Australian visual satire, and he is remembered for the energy of his line, his political wit, and the huge volume of work he produced across several decades.
Hopkins died on August 21, 1927. His career is notable not only for its longevity but also for the way it bridged two countries, linking the booming illustrated press of the United States with the developing satirical culture of colonial and early federal Australia.