Wilhelm Busch was a German painter and poet who is known for his satirical picture stories. After studying first mechanical engineering and then art in Düsseldorf, Antwerpen and Munich, he turned to drawing caricatures.
One of his first picture stories, Max and Moritz (published in 1865), was a huge success. Max and Moritz as well as many of his other picture stories are regarded as one of the main precursors of the modern comic strip. Max and Moritz, for instance, has been an inspiration for the Katzenjammer Kids.
Wilhelm Busch also wrote a number of poems in a similar style to his picture stories. Besides that he produced more than 1000 oil paintings that weren't sold before his death in 1908. He was also active as a sculptor.