Charles Edmund Brock was a widely published English painter, line artist, and book illustrator, known for signing most of his work as C. E. Brock. Born in London, he was the son of Edmund Brock, a specialist reader in oriental languages for the Cambridge University Press, and his wife Mary Ann Louise. As the eldest of four brothers, Brock was part of an artistic family which included his brother Henry Matthew Brock, also an illustrator.

Starting his artistic journey under the guidance of sculptor Henry Wiles, Brock received his first book commission at the young age of twenty. His career flourished as he became a successful and prolific illustrator, lending his talents to the works of renowned authors such as Jonathan Swift, William Thackeray, Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, and George Eliot. In addition to his book illustrations, Brock's artwork graced the pages of magazines like The Quiver and The Strand.