Marie Duval

Isabelle Émilie de Tessier, better known by her pseudonym Marie Duval, was a pioneering British cartoonist born on 25 September 1847. She is best remembered as the co-creator of Ally Sloper, one of the first recurring comic characters in popular culture. Sloper proved so successful that he was spun off into his own weekly, *Ally Sloper's Half Holiday*, in 1884, a landmark in the history of comics. Duval worked primarily as an artist, inker, and letterer, with her most credited work appearing in *Judy*, as well as in specials like *Ally Sloper's Summer Number* and *Ally Sloper's Comic Kalendar*. Her style was energetic and expressive, perfectly suited to the broad, slapstick humor of the era. Her active period in comics spanned from 1869 to 1884. Duval died on 11 June 1890. In later years, her significant role in early British comics has been increasingly recognized, cementing her legacy as a rare and influential female voice in the male-dominated field of Victorian cartooning.