Gustave Verbeek

Gustave Verbeck (1867 - 1937) was the son of a Dutch missionary in Tokio. He was born in Nagasaki, grew up in Japan and studied arts in Paris. Around 1900 he moved to the United States, where his name was misspelled as Verbeek by an immigration officer. He continued using both names. He worked as a cartoonist, illustrator and painter, but he's remembered for his incredible upside-down cartoons "The Upside Downs of Little Lady Lovekins and Old Man Muffaroo" which appeared in the New York Herald from October 11, 1903 to January 15, 1905.

He made a total of 64 upside down comics, which must have been an incredibly difficult task. Every image should not only be reversible on its own, but should also fit into the story. The most famous drawing he ever made is the one on top of this page. First you see how Muffaroo is attacked by a big fish in his canoe. Turned upside down, you see Lovekins being caught by a giant bird.