 As one commentator has written, "a truly modern bon vivant, Irvin (1881–1972) was also a keen appreciator of the century of his birth.His high regard for both the careful artistry of the past and the gleam of the modern metropolis shines from the very first issue of the magazine ..."

Born in San Francisco, he studied at the Mark Hopkins Art Institute for six months, started his career as an unpaid cartoonist for "The San Francisco Examiner".He also contributed to the "San Francisco Evening Post".