Nothing is known about the British illustrator Dora Gibbon, except that she illustrated the picture story 'Muffy in Moonland' for the Daily Express in April 1922.
Muffy in Moonland
The serial presents a magical adventure of a girl called Muffy, who travels night and day to Moonland on the back of a giant butterfly-like creature, with a silver ticket stamped "The Milky Way". During her dreamlike experience, she meets Mrs. Moon, Mister Rain, Mister Sun, Mrs. Lightning, Mister Thunder, the sisters Day and Night and other tide and climate-related characters. 'Muffy in Moonland' was serialized between 3 April and 1 May 1922 with one image a day. The text captions were in rhyme.
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 Dora Gibbon, Tom Cottrell ('Paper Cap'), Peter Bacon ('The Toy Theatre Folk') and Weir Browne ('The Robin's Surprise'), 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.
'Muffy in Moonland' carries a "Copyright U.S.A." notice, so Dora Gibbon might as well be American. But on the other hand, some 'Rupert Bear' episodes carry the same byline, and they are as British as can be! Dora Gibbon's signature also appeared on illustrations around this period, she was probably part of the art staff of the Daily Express.
