Edward Arthur Wilson

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.

Early life Wilson was born on March 4, 1886, in Glasgow, Scotland; In 1893, the family emigrated to the United States and by no later than 1900, the family had settled in Chicago.

Career In 1921, Wilson designed the cover for William McFee's An Engineer's Notebook. His first full-length project was Iron Men and Wooden Ships (1924), a collection of sailor shanties edited by author and bookseller Frank Shay. Over the next two decades, Wilson illustrated many classic novels, including Robinson Crusoe (1930), The Man Without a Country (1936), Treasure Island (1941), and Jane Eyre (1944). Later, he produced illustrations for magazines and a number of World War II propaganda posters; a number of these are included in Thomas Craven's The Book of Edward A. Wilson (1948). In 1945, Wilson's work was featured in Life Magazine.

Personal life Wilson was married to Jane Roe and they had two daughters, one of whom was the actress Perry Wilson. DeFoe, Daniel (1930). Robinson Crusoe. New York: Heritage Press. Fennimore, Daniel (1932) Last of the Mohicans. Avon, Conn: Heritage Press. Hudson, William Henry (1935). Green Mansions. New York: Limited Editions Club. Loomis, Alfred Loomis (1939). Ranging the Main Coast. New York: Norton. McMurtrie, Douglas C.; Farran, Don; Wilson, Edward A., illustrations (1940). Wings for Words. New York: Rand, McNally & Company. Wilson, Edward; Wright Marine Collection (1941). Blow High, Blow Low. New York: American Artists Group. . Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth; Candy, Henry Seidel (1947). Favorite Poems of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Company. Shay, Frank, ed. (1948). American Sea Songs and Chanteys. New York: W.W. Norton. Mathers, Edward Powys; Mardrus, J. C.; Forester, Cecil Scott (1949). The Seven Voyages of Sinbad the Sailor, Volume 1. New York: Limited Editions Club.

Magazines Rogers, Cameron (November 1924). "Sailors' Songs and Whalers' Stories". World's Work. pp. 108–111 Service, Robert W. (December 1929). "A New ballad of the Yukon: Sandy MacPherson Held the Floor". Cosmopolitan. pp. 46–47 Filene, Edward A. (October 1930). "The Road to Freedom". The Rotarian. pp. 9–11, 62–64 Ludwig, Emil (January 1933). "Statesmen—Amateur or Professional?". The Rotarian. pp. 6–9, 54–55 Dimnet, Abbé Ernest (January 1935). "We Owe a Debt". The Rotarian. pp. 17–18, 59–60

Collections Wilson's work is held in the following permanent collection: National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.: 7 works (as of 7 May 2022)