Walter A. Weber

Walter Alois Weber (May 23, 1906 - January 10, 1979) was an American mammalogist, animal artist, and illustrator for National Geographic. He was noted for his colorful and realistic-looking sketches and paintings of animals, particularly wild cats, Alaska Peninsula brown bears, American black bears, coyotes, and dog breeds, including retrievers, hounds, and sporting dogs. He also painted portraits of many other birds, mammals, and reptiles. His work in National Geographic held the public's attention from 1939 to 1968. In 1967, he was given the Conservation Service Award.

Early life Weber was born May 23, 1906, in Chicago, to poor immigrants, who had trouble caring for their family of eleven children. He had a natural talent for art, and at age nine he began taking art classes at the Chicago Art Center. Weber went to the University of Chicago, graduating in 1927. He earned a Bachelor of Science in zoology and botany, and he worked with Carl Rungius, a big game painter. fishes, and bears.

In addition to National Geographic, Walter's paintings also appeared in:

Song and Garden Birds of North America Water Prey and Game Birds of North America Wondrous World of Fishes Wild Animals of North America Birds of Colorado Birds of the Republic of Panama Breeding Birds of North Dakota Homes and Habits of Wild Animals by Karl Patterson Schmidt

Many of his prints are still available online.

Walter was helpful and caring toward younger artists looking for help. He was known to give away his art to those he liked, but quote extremely high prices for those he did not. He was very upset when his art was plagiarized, but was not opposed to its use when requested, including the Territory of Papua and New Guinea's use of some of his bird paintings for their postage stamps.

By 1971, at age 65, Weber had mostly retired from art and instead had taken a role in the Washington Biologists' Field Club. He remained there until his death in 1979. Weber died of a stroke on January 10, 1979, at age seventy-two.