Władysław Teodor Benda (1873-1948) studied art at the Kraków College of Technology and Art in Poland and at the School of Fine Arts in Vienna, Austria. He emigrated to the United States in 1899, where he further studied art at the Art Students League of New York and the William Merritt Chase School. He became a U.S. citizen in 1911. Benda illustrated for many magazines, including The Saturday Evening Post, Collier’s, and Good Housekeeping. He also was well-known as a costume and mask designer for theater productions and eventually wrote a book on making masks.