Wilhelm Busch

Born in 1832 in Wiedensahl, Germany, Wilhelm Busch became one of the country’s most celebrated humorists, poets, and illustrators. He studied art in Düsseldorf, Antwerp, and Munich, but found his real voice in comic picture stories and illustrated verse.

His most famous work, Max and Moritz (1865), follows two unruly boys through a series of pranks and remains a classic of German literature. Busch’s mix of drawing, storytelling, and rhyme made him a landmark figure in illustrated humor, and many readers see his work as an important forerunner of the modern comic strip.

Alongside his mischievous wit, Busch often wrote with a darker, more satirical edge, poking at hypocrisy, vanity, and everyday foolishness. He died in 1908, but his stories and images still feel lively, clever, and unmistakably his own.