Oscar Cesare was born in 1885. He worked as a cartoonist for the New York Sun and adopted the grease crayon technique that had been adopted by other radical cartoonists such as Boardman Robinson, Robert Minor, K. R. Chamberlain, and Rollin Kirby.

Cesare was a strong opponent of America's involvement in the First World War. A versatile artist, Cesare also drew theatrical caricatures for The New York Times.

Oscar Cesare died in 1948.