Walter Whitehead (1874-1956) was born in Chicago and studied illustration with Howard Pyle and at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He taught at the Art Students League (New York City) and at the Chicago Academy of Fine Art. He was recognized for his skill with illustrations of the American colonial period; his work also encompassed Western subjects and genre scenes. Besides illustration for publications such as The Saturday Evening Post, Whitehead was involved in the advertising profession, both as an artist (he created Cream of Wheat ads, among others) and as an executive. In 1906, he was working for the Ben B. Hampton Company in New York; he left to join Calkins & Holden in 1908. He produced at least one World War I-era Liberty Loan poster.