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Home > Artists > Walt Reed

Walt Reed

Born: July 21, 1917 | Died: March 18, 2015

Walt Reed

Biography

Walt Reed (1917-2015) was trained as an illustrator at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn and the Phoenix Art Institute in New York City. He freelanced as a book illustrator prior to joining the instructional staff of the Famous Artists School in Westport, Connecticut. There he worked with some of America’s most prominent illustrators, including Norman Rockwell, Stevan Dohanos, Robert Fawcett, and Albert Dorne. Reed also served as editor for North Light Publications from 1972 to 1976. In 1974, Reed founded Illustration House, Inc., a gallery specializing in the field of illustration and dedicated to the preservation of this vital form of American art. His many books on the subject of illustration include, The Illustrator in America (the invaluable chronological compendium of illustrators and their art which has been updated and re-issued several times); Harold von Schmidt Draws and Paints the Old West; John Clymer, An Artist’s Rendezvous with the Frontier West; Great American Illustrators; The Magic Pen of Joseph Clement Coll; The Art of Tom Lovell—An Invitation to History; and Harvey Dunn: Illustrator and Painter of the Pioneer West. Reed also designed the Bicentennial 50 State Flag stamps for the U.S. Postal Service in 1976 and was a consultant on several subsequent stamp projects. In November 2013, Reed donated his illustration archive to Washington University.

A kind-hearted and generous individual, Reed encouraged others to forge careers as curators and historians, and as collectors of the illustration arts. His writings, which reflected his vast knowledge about the history of illustration and individual American illustrators, established a significant base of scholarship, and have spurred appreciation and understanding.

Illustrations by Walt Reed

Additional Resources

  • Yesterday’s Papers
  • “Dean Cornwell: Dean of Illustrators,” by Patricia Janis Broder
  • Interview with Walt Reed
  • “The Illustrator in America, 1860-2000,” by Walt Reed

Bibliography

Dell, John Edward and Walt Reed. Visions of Adventure: N.C. Wyeth and the Brandywine Artists. New York: Watson-Guptill Publications, 2000.

Hedgpeth, Don and Walt Reed. The Art of Tom Lovell: An Invitation to History. Trumbull, CT: Greenwich Workshop, 1993.

Plunkett, Stephanie Haboush and Magdalen Livesey. Drawing Lessons from the Famous Artists School: Classic Techniques and Expert Tips from the Golden Age of Illustration. Beverly, MA: Rockport Publishers, 2017.

Reed, Walt. Harvey Dunn: Illustrator and Painter of the Pioneer West. Santa Cruz, CA: Flesk Publications, 2010.

Reed, Walt. The Illustrator in America, 1860-2000. New York: Society of Illustrators, 2001.

Genres
  • Advertising
    • Corporate
    • Political and Public Service
    • Product
    • Self-Promotion
  • Books
    • Children’s Books
    • Cover Art
    • Interior Illustration
  • Cartooning
    • Advertising
    • Caricature
    • Political and Editorial
    • Sports
    • Spot
  • Comics
    • Comic Books
      • Manga
    • Comic Strips
  • Decorative & Applied Illustration
    • Info Graphics
    • Murals
    • Portraiture
  • Fantasy
    • Adventure
    • Fairy Tales and Fables
    • Mythology
  • Fashion
    • Advertising
    • Design
  • Graphic Novels
    • Fiction
    • Non-Fiction
    • Visual Memoir and Autobiography
  • Internet Illustration
    • Web Comics
    • Website Illustration
  • Magazine
    • Cover Art
    • Story Illustration
  • Moving Image
    • Animation
    • Concept Art
    • Storyboard
    • Video Game Design
  • Newspaper
  • Non-Commissioned Work
  • Poster
    • Event (Promotional)
    • Film
    • Political
    • Propaganda
    • Travel
  • Product Illustration
    • Album/CD
    • Calendars
    • DVD/VHS/Videogame
    • Greeting Cards
    • Packaging
    • Paper Dolls
    • Postage Stamps
  • Pulp Illustration
    • Pinup Art
    • Pulp Magazines
  • Science Fiction
    • Creatures
    • Outer Space
    • Technology
  • Technical
    • Anatomy
    • Archaeological
    • Architecture
    • Courtroom Drawings
    • Horticulture
    • Mechanical
    • Natural History
Global Perspectives
  • North America
  • Europe
  • Asia
RELATED ARTISTS
  • Stevan Dohanos Stevan Dohanos
  • Albert Dorne Albert Dorne
  • Harvey Dunn Harvey Dunn
  • Robert Fawcett Robert Fawcett
  • Donato Giancola Donato Giancola
  • Tom La Padula Tom La Padula
  • Tom Lovell Tom Lovell
  • Dennis Nolan Dennis Nolan
  • Howard Pyle Howard Pyle
  • Norman Rockwell Norman Rockwell
  • N.C. Wyeth N.C. Wyeth
Related Time Periods
  • The Decade 1930-1940 The Decade 1930-1940
  • The Decade 1940-1950 The Decade 1940-1950
  • The Decade 1950-1960 The Decade 1950-1960
  • The Decade 1960-1970 The Decade 1960-1970
  • The Decade 1970-1980 The Decade 1970-1980
  • The Decade 1980-1990 The Decade 1980-1990
  • The Decade 1990-2000 The Decade 1990-2000
  • The Decade 2000-2010 The Decade 2000-2010
  • The Decade 2010-2020 The Decade 2010-2020

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"The great band of illustrators have shown us to ourselves and I am proud to be among their company."
- Norman Rockwell

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