'The Robin's Surprise' (The Daily Express, 11 July 1923).
Nothing is known about the British illustrator Weir Browne, except that he illustrated the picture story 'The Robin's Surprise' for the Daily Express in July 1923.
The Robin's Surprise
In the story, a group of woodland animals is preparing for their annual sports day. One of the forest's funny animal inhabitants, Mr. Robin, suggests they hold a baby show that same day. Their big baby wins the contest, but in the end turns out to be a cuckoo instead. 'The Robin's Surprise' was serialized between 30 June and 13 July 1923 with one image a day and a heavy text caption.
The short-lived serial appeared during a gap between two of Mary Tourtel's 'Rupert Bear' stories. The iconic bear had been created two years earlier, but wasn't the paper's only ongoing picture story feature yet. During these early years, his adventures were alternated with Tourtel's own 'Margot the Midget', but also picture stories by other cartoonists, including Weir Browne, Dora Gibbon ('Muffy in Moonland'), Tom Cottrell ('Paper Cap') and Peter Bacon ('The Toy Theatre Folk'), as well as an illustrated text serial by Vera C. Alexander and Blanche Keppel Reede ('Adventures in Opal Land'). By 1923, 'Rupert Bear' became the Daily Express' fulltime children's story.
'The Robin's Surprise' (The Daily Express, 12 July 1923).