Frank Beard

Frank Beard (1842-1905) was the principal illustrator for The Ram's Horn. He was also a widely known American illustrator in the latter part of the nineteenth century. In an article for a sister publication, Our Day, (in the February 1896 issue, pp. 85-91, Beard discussed his personal observations regarding the history of magazine illustration in the United States. In the "early fifties" (1850s) Beard was a boy of "7 or 8 years old" when he first saw Yankee Notions, which he termed "the first American comic journal," published by T.W. Strong of 98 Nassau Street in New York city.

Beard's first memories were of Brother Jonathan, which he found in his Christmas stocking. "It was a large sheet," he recalled, "as much as a yard square, consisting of four pages of printed matter, interspersed with original pictures by American artists, mostly relating to Christmas times, and usually of a comic character. No present from Santa Claus gave more joy to myself and brothers than Brother Jonathan. We would spread it on the floor and lie flat on our stomachs, studying the pictures and spelling out the titles and jokes beneath them, for hours together."

Apparently Beard's first work as an illustrator was for Comic Monthly , published from 1859 to 1881. Beard had an active career as an illustrator. His cartoons appeared in Judge, and he illustrated books.

Beard drew covers for The Ram's Horn during the 1890s, as well as other illustrations. His depiction of the saloon and of the liquor traffic in general provided powerful propaganda for the prohibition movement, which reprinted and circulated Beard's illustrations broadly.