Edward Gorey

Edward Gorey  (1925-2000) was an American writer and illustrator, noted for his unsettling narratives and pen-and-ink drawings. He was the creator of The Gashlycrumb Tinies, a gruesomely comic alphabet, as well as several other independent illustrated books such as The Doubtful Guest, The Hapless Child and The Unstrung Harp. He is noted for illustrating numerous works by other writers – HG Wells, T.S Eliot, Lewis Carroll – as well as his work on The New Yorker. He won a Tony Award for costume design in 1978.

He is a native of Chicago, where he attended The School of the Art Institute for one semester in 1943 before joining the Army. Elegant Enigmas: The Art of Edward Gorey will be the first major Chicago exhibition of his artwork. 

(Photo by Richard Corman.)