Robertson's farcical sketch "The Cantab", staged as an after-piece at the Strand Theatre in February 1861, attracted the attention of a Bohemian literary set, and led to his becoming a member of the Savage, Arundel and Reunion Clubs, where, in the words of his biographer Joseph Knight, "he enlarged his observation of human nature, and whence he drew some curious types". Among the up-and-coming writers with whom he mixed were F. C. Burnand, W. S. Gilbert, Tom Hood and Clement Scott. When Byron founded the magazine "Fun" in 1861, Robertson was a contributor from the outset. Writers for magazines and papers were seldom well paid, and to maintain a modest income Robertson wrote copiously: Pemberton lists a dozen publications to which he contributed in this period, ranging from "Beeton's Englishwoman's Domestic Magazine" and "The Boy's Own Magazine" to "London Society" and "The Illustrated Times". Success remained elusive, and Robertson considered giving up writing and becoming a tobacconist.