Rodolphe Töpffer (/ˈtɒpfər/ TOP-fər; French: [ʁɔdɔlf tœpfɛʁ]; 31 January 1799 – 8 June 1846) was a Swiss teacher, author, painter, cartoonist, and caricaturist.

He is best known for his illustrated books (littérature en estampes, "graphic literature"),[1] which are possibly the earliest European comics.

Töpffer was born on 12 pluviôse of the seventh year of the French Republican calendar at ten hours after noon (« dix heures après midi »),[6] that is on 31 January 1799, in Geneva, Léman, France.

The stories were reproduced by autography, a variation of lithography that allowed him to draw on specially prepared paper with a pen.

The comedic story was not originally intended for publication, but Töpffer continued to create others in his spare time to entertain his acquaintances.

On 14 September 1842, the Histoire de Mr. Vieux Bois was first introduced to a United States audience as The Adventures of Mr. Obadiah Oldbuck.

The University Press of Mississippi published an English translation of his full-length stories as well as previously unpublished works in 2007.