Edd Cartier

Illustrator Judge – Biography

Illustrator judge Edd Cartier

Edd Cartier (1914–2008) born in North Bergen, New Jersey, studied at Pratt Institute. He was an American pulp magazine illustrator with over 800 illustrations of The Shadow, dozens of illustrations for L. Ron Hubbard’s science fiction and fantasy stories during the 1940s and countless illustrations for other writers of the Golden Age, such as Issac Asimov, Theodore Sturgeon and Robert A. Heinlein, making him one of the leading artists of his time.

Cartier illustrated for Astounding Science Fiction, Doc Savage Magazine, Unknown, Wild West Weekly, Movie Action and Detective Story Magazine. He worked for major pulp fiction publishing houses including Street & Smith Publications, Gnome Press, and Fantasy Press. His work later appeared in other magazines, including Planet Stories, Fantastic Adventures, and other pulps.

He had a deft caricature style and was able to portray not just very expressive people, but expressive creatures like fairies, gnomes, and gods.

In 1992, Cartier was given the World Fantasy Lifetime Achievement Award. Later in 1996 and 2001, he was nominated for Retro Hugo Awards for artwork published in 1945 and 1951.

Edd Cartier became a judge of the Illustrators of the Future Contest in its inaugural year and remained one the rest of his life.

“Being able to be a judge of the illustrators was a tremendous honor. I myself knew what it was like to get into the field being a young artist.” —Edd Cartier