M.T. Ross, who was affectionately nicknamed "Penny", was an illustrator and comic artist in the early twentieth century. He lived in Oak Park, Illinois and had his studio in downtown Chicago. He was one of the first co-workers of Walt Disney, as well as a close friend of R.F. Outcault, with whom he developed 'Buster Brown'. M.T. "Penny" Ross moved to Southern California in 1926 to work for RKO and other studios as a set designer.