Edward Arthur Wilson (March 4, 1886 – October 2, 1970) was an American illustrator, printmaker and commercial artist best known for his book and magazine illustrations.
Wilson was born on March 4, 1886, inGlasgow,Scotland;[1] one of two sons born to Edward J. Wilson and Euphemia E. Murray.[2][3] In 1893, the family emigrated to the United States and by no later than 1900, the family had settled in Chicago.[2] Edward attended theArt Institute of Chicago, and later studied with illustratorHoward Pyle.[1][4]
In 1921, Wilson designed the cover forWilliam McFee'sAn Engineer's Notebook. His first full-length project wasIron Men and Wooden Ships (1924), a collection of sailor shanties edited by author and booksellerFrank Shay. Over the next two decades, Wilson illustrated many classic novels, includingRobinson Crusoe (1930),The Man Without a Country (1936),Treasure Island (1941), andJane Eyre (1944). Later, he produced illustrations for magazines and a number of World War II propaganda posters; a number of these are included inThomas Craven'sThe Book of Edward A. Wilson (1948).[5] In 1945, Wilson's work was featured inLife Magazine.[1][6]
^"Illinois, Cook County Birth Registers, 1871-1915," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N7HL-2PV : 10 March 2018), Edward J. Wilson in entry for Harold F. Wilson, 14 Apr 1894; citing e 18668 p 374, Chicago, Cook, Illinois, Cook County Courthouse, Chicago; FHL microfilm 1,287,740.
^"Books and Authors".The New York Times. September 21, 1941 p. BR14. "The American Artists Group, 106 7th Avenue, New York City, is bringing out a boxed set of ten little gift books. Four are for children; [...] The other six include [...] 'Blow High, Blow Low,' a collection of five sea chanties, illustrated by Edward Wilson, who also contributes a poem of his own... "
