null
Today Google's Doodle features John Tenniel, who did the famous original illustrations for the Alice books. Tenniel, who became the principal political cartoonist of "PUNCH" magazine, was born on the 28 February 1820. He seems to have been a quiet, retiring and somewhat introverted man - long suffering, too, if an anecdote about his youth is to be believed. It seems that his father was a dancing and fencing master, who taught his son to fence. When he was 20, Tenniel was fencing with his father when his father accidently hit his eye with the tip of his foil. Tenniel never told his father that his eyesight had been permanently damaged by the accident, because he did not want to upset him.

He indicated that he found it a strain to work with Lewis Carroll because Carroll was so demanding. In fact, after illustrating "Wonderland" Tenniel actually refused to illustrate "Looking Glass," to Carroll's dismay... I wonder how Carroll persuaded him to change his mind.