Rudolph Dirks was on of the major figures in the development of newspaper comics. He invented the Katzenjammer Kids in 1897, and drew them for roughly the next half century. Although he remained fond of Hans and Fritz throughout his long lifetime, his major interest was painting.

Dirks was born in Germany and grew up in the Chicago area. His initial intent was to be a woodcarver like his father, but "one week in the shop settled that. I almost cut off one hand." He decided on cartooning and painting, and in the late 1890s followed his older brother, Gus, also a cartoonist, to Manhattan. "I decided to go to New York where all the jokes came from". After working at a variety of jobs,...