Monsell, John Robert, 1877-1952 (illustrator and composer of operettas)
Dates
- Existence: 1877 - 1952
Biography
John Robert (Jack) Monsell is principally remembered as an illustrator and writer of children's books, however, he was also a prolific composer of mainly unperformed light musical plays, for which he also wrote librettos and designed stage sets and costumes. He was born into a wealthy Anglo-Irish family and after his education in Dublin, he first turned to a career in acting, then to writing and illustrating childrens' books and other mainly satirical works. He was also a regular contributor to Arthur Mee's 'Children's Newspaper'. After returning from war in 1918, he wrote and illustrated further children's books and created a number of musical plays, but of the latter, only his 1935 adaptation of Sheridan's 'Rivals' reached the London stage. Thereafter his creative work ebbed, and Monsell died in 1952.