James Shepherdwas born in London in 1867. He first made his name with his popular series of Zig Zag Fables published in the The Strand Magazine . In 1893 he joined the staff of Punch Magazine and contributed cartoons for the next forty years.

Books illustrated by Shepherd include Zig-Zags at the Zoo (1895), Tommy at the Zoo (1895), Zig-Zag Fables (1897), Wonders in Monsterland (1901), The Donkey Book (1903), Funny Animals (1904), A Frolic Round the Zoo (1926) and Animal Caricature (1936). James Shepherd died in 1946.