Born in Cambridge in England, H. M. Brock was one of four sons of Edmund Brock (1841-1921), a specialist reader in oriental languages for the Cambridge University Press, and his wife Mary Ann Louise (1836-1901) (née Peagram). H. M. Brock was the younger brother of the better-known artist Charles Edward Brock, with whom he shared a studio from 1894. H. M. Brock studied at the Cambridge School of Art. Like his brother, he contributed to Punch magazine. While Charles Edward Brock painted in oils and was elected a member of the British Institution, H. M. Brock worked in advertising as well as in book illustration. For example, he illustrated Charles Dickens]]' Great Expectations, and produced four colour plates for a 1935 edition of A Christmas Carol. In addition, Brock was one of seven artist