Ally Sloper
Alexander "Ally" Sloper is the eponymous fictional character of the British comic strip Ally Sloper. First appearing in 1867, he is one of the earliest characters in comic strips. Red-nosed and blustery, an archetypal lazy schemer often found "sloping" through alleys to avoid his landlord and other creditors, he was created for the British magazine Judy by writer and fledgling artist Charles H. Ross, and inked and later fully illustrated by his French wife Émilie de Tessier under the pseudonym "Marie Duval" (or "Marie Du Val"; sources differ).
Ally Sloper
![Ally Sloper, « Recent Events » Signé M[arie] D[uval] Publié dans Judy le 22 avril 1874](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6d/Marie_Duval%2C_Ally_Sloper%2C_%22Recent_Events%22_%28Judy%2C_April_22%2C_1874%29.jpg/960px-Marie_Duval%2C_Ally_Sloper%2C_%22Recent_Events%22_%28Judy%2C_April_22%2C_1874%29.jpg)
Marie Duval · Judy (April 22, 1874) · Public domain
- Creator
- Marie Duval and Charles Henry Ross.
- Publisher
- Gilbert Dalziel.
- Language
- English.
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Documentary summary
Alexander "Ally" Sloper is the eponymous fictional character of the British comic strip Ally Sloper. First appearing in 1867, he is one of the earliest characters in comic strips. Red-nosed and blustery, an archetypal lazy schemer often found "sloping" through alleys to avoid his landlord and other creditors, he was created for the British magazine Judy by writer and fledgling artist Charles H. Ross, and inked and later fully illustrated by his French wife Émilie de Tessier under the pseudonym "Marie Duval" (or "Marie Du Val"; sources differ).
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Documentary evidence
Documentary basis
Authority files
wikidata · Q2838747 · wikipedia · Ally Sloper
In this article
The object
The object
The strips, which used text narrative beneath unbordered panels, premiered in the 14 August 1867 issue of Judy, a humour-magazine rival of the famous Punch. The highly popular character was spun off into his own comic, Ally Sloper's Half Holiday, in 1884.
A page featuring Ally Sloper drawn (and probably written) by Mary Duval and published in Judy in the 1870's. For more details, see the title.
Auteur de la page: Marie Duval Auteur du scan: Chris Mullen · Scanné dans Judy et mis sur
Reproduced by Joseph Pennell in Pen Drawing and Pen Draftsmen (1897)
W. G. Baxter · Ally Sloper's Half Holiday
Key facts
Key facts
• Format — Text comics • Genre — Humor • Date — 1867 • Writers — Charles H. Ross • Artists — Émilie de Tessier
Artists
Artists
The first illustrations were by Ross, then Tessier took over. When publisher Gilbert Dalziel re-launched the cartoon as Ally Sloper's Half Holiday, in 1884, Sloper was illustrated by William Baxter until his death in 1888. He was succeeded by W. Fletcher Thomas, who continued the illustrations until approximately 1899, when the publisher invited C. H. Chapman to illustrate the series until it ended in 1916.
Films
Films
• Illustration — 19th-century issue of Ally Sloper's Half Holiday Sloper appeared in three feature films and a wide array of merchandising from pocket watches to door stops. His popularity and influence led to his being used on occasion as a propaganda tool for the British government's policies. Sloper has also been cited as an influence on W. C. Fields and Charlie Chaplin's "little tramp" character and its imitators. The arrival of the First World War in 1914 saw severe paper rationing, and in 1916 the Half Holiday comic ceased production. Attempts after the war to revive Sloper proved short-lived, as Sloper was a somewhat stereotypical Victorian and Edwardian type, and did not fit into the new post-war world.
Versions and prints
Catalogued output
Versions and prints
Institutional cataloguing adds that ally Sloper is recorded as comic book series. It is also recorded that ally Sloper is recorded with the gender male. Sloper began on 14 August 1867. Sloper ended in 1916. Attributed to Marie Duval. Institutional cataloguing adds that ally Sloper is attributed to Charles Henry Ross. Published by Gilbert Dalziel.
Primary material
Documents and archives
scholarly publication
- Ally Sloper, n, Oxford English Dictionary, 2023
Scholarly · Crossref registry · 2023
- Marie Duval and Ally Sloper, History Workshop Journal, 1986
Scholarly · Crossref registry · 1986
reference work
- “Ally Sloper”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q2838747: Ally Sloper
General reference · Wikidata
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
scholarly publication
Ally Sloper, n, Oxford English Dictionary, 2023Crossref registry
Institutional witnessscholarly publication
Marie Duval and Ally Sloper, History Workshop Journal, 1986Crossref registry
Institutional witnessreference work
Secondary witnessauthority record
General reference
Further particulars
Held on the record
Further particulars
Open the remaining particulars
This entry is compiled from 9 catalogued sources across 4 independent registers. The registers consulted are Crossref registry, Internet Archive, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Every statement above is held against the register that stated it; where the registers are silent, the entry is silent.
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 16 August 2026.
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