W.W. Denslow was born on May 5, 1856 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. He was a writer, known for Billy Bounce (1963), Number 13 (1962) and The Legends of Oz (1993). He was married to Mrs. Frances G. Doolittle, Ann Waters Holden and Annie McCartney. He died on March 29, 1915 in New York City, New York, USA.
Signed his name with a seahorse, known as Hippocampus, followed
by "DEN". Hippocampus, along with his likenesses of the
Scarecrow and Tin Woodman, are engraved on his headstone.
Death was caused by drinking for two days after selling an illustration
to _Life_ magazine for $250. The illustration appeared on the August 15
cover.
His grave in Kensico Cemetery went unmarked until 21 February 1986.
His fame rests almost entirely on his illustrations for the original
1900 edition of "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" (known in later editions,
as well as on stage and film, as simply "The Wizard of Oz"). It was the
only Oz book that Denslow illustrated; he later had a falling-out with
author L. Frank Baum.