Sydney Cowell illustration

This illustration was published in The Idler Magazine in January 1893 and is signed by Sydney Cowell.  The picture was used to illustrate an article by Conan Doyle called My First Book: Juvenilia which describes his writing career. It illustrates a story in which Doyle describes how his writing is interrupted by the needs of a young patient and his parents.

The Idler was an illustrated monthly magazine published from 1892 to 1911. It was founded by the author Robert Barr, who brought in the humourist Jerome K. Jerome as co-editor. Its contributors included many of the leading writers and illustrators of the time. Sydney Cowell was a British illustrator who illustrated a variety of books during his time.