Donald McGill (1875–1962) was the undisputed "King of the Saucy Postcard," producing an estimated 12,000 designs over a career that spanned six decades. His art defined the visual language of the British seaside: his world was populated by "stout" matrons, henpecked husbands, red-nosed drunks, and "scanty" young women, all caught in a web of innocent-yet-suggestive double entendres. Despite his "naughty" reputation, McGill himself was a quiet, conservative man who rarely visited the seaside. His work became a national institution, famously defended by George Orwell in a 1941 essay as a vital vent for the "unofficial" British spirit. However, the 1950s brought a moral crackdown, and in 1954, at the age of 79, McGill was prosecuted under the Obscene Publications Act. He was fined and thousands of his cards were burned, an event that led directly to the Censor Pass marks being introduced.

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