Hugh Joseph Ward
~ 1909 – 1945
Hugh Joseph Ward was an American illustrator known for his cover art for pulp magazines. He is noted especially for his paintings for Spicy Mystery, Spicy Detective, and other titles published by Harry Donenfeld in the “spicy” genre. He also painted definitive images of popular radio characters the Lone Ranger and the Green Hornet.
Ward was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in a working-class neighborhood. His interest in drawing was encouraged by a high school art teacher.With the goal of becoming a commercial artist, he enrolled in a four-year diploma program at Pennsylvania Business School of Industrial Art in September 1927.
The death of Ward’s father in 1929 reduced his family’s resources, and Ward was forced to drop out of the art program after completing only three years. In 1930 he became a graphic artist for The Philadelphia Inquirer newspaper, where he was employed to execute lettering for display advertisements. His duties at the Inquirer soon expanded to include drawing spot illustrations and political cartoons.
Ward’s ambition was to become a free-lance illustrator for magazines. He made his first sale on August 24, 1931, to Teck Publishing Corporation, which purchased two paintings that later were used on the covers of Complete Detective Novel and Wild West Stories and Complete Novel Magazine. Subsequently, Dell Publishing asked him to provide several cover paintings for Sure-Fire Screen Stories and Ace-High Magazine.
In August 1934, Ward married Viola Conley, who became his model for all the women in his pulp magazine covers. Eschewing the use of photographs, he painted her directly from life. He became noted for his depictions of women reacting in horror to various lurid threats.
2 albums/28 artworks
Lastest Update: September 17, 2025 -> Created a new page for this artist (28 artworks)
