J. A. Shepherd

Famed animal caricaturist James Affleck Shepherd was born 29 November 1866 in London. One of his teachers was Alfred Bryan, the Judy caricaturist. He was introduced to the Punch audience in the 1894 “Punch Almanac.” J. A. Shepherd was a regular contributor of illustrations to the Strand Magazine. He illustrated “Zig Zags at the Zoo” in 1894, “Zig Zag Fables” in 1897, “The Story of Chanticleer” in 1913, “Uncle Remus” in 1921, and “Songs of the Birds” in 1922. A portrait and short biography are at Illustrators of the Strand.

Carolyn Rodgers sent along this image from an old Bible found in Hamilton, Illinois which compared to Sheppard's signature on the comic above looks suspiciously alike. I don't know if Shepherd was ever in America but a descendant may have brought the Bible over the ocean.