Born in Toronto in 1851 to Scottish and Irish immigrants, John Wilson Bengough grew up in Whitby, Ontario, where he began his career in the newspaper industry as a typesetter. Inspired by the political cartoons of American artist Thomas Nast, Bengough sought to direct his own artistic talents toward political cartooning. Due to a lack of existing venues for his work, he founded the satirical weekly magazine Grip in 1873, which he modeled after the famous British humor magazine Punch.
Through Grip, Bengough established himself as one of Canada's premier political cartoonists. He found ample material in the Pacific Scandal of 1873, and his caricatures of Prime Minister John A. Macdonald soon achieved nationwide fame. Bengough occasionally published his work under the pen name L. Côté. After Grip folded in 1894, he remained active in public life, publishing books, contributing cartoons to Canadian and international newspapers, and traveling globally to deliver illustrated lectures known as "chalk talks."
Bengough was also a deeply religious man who used his platform to advocate for various social reforms. He supported free trade, women's suffrage, and the prohibition of alcohol and tobacco, though he opposed Canadian bilingualism. He served as an alderman on the Toronto City Council from 1907 to 1909. In recognition of his contributions to Canadian culture, the Canadian government designated him a Person of National Historic Significance in 1938, and he was inducted into the Canadian Cartoonist Hall of Fame in 2005.
