J.R.R. Tolkien created the cover art and illustrations for the first edition of The Hobbit.
Tolkien was not only the author of The Hobbit but also its original illustrator. The first edition included his drawings, maps, and cover design, giving readers visual impressions of places and characters from the story. His artwork included images connected with Hobbiton, Rivendell, and the wider journey.
These illustrations were part of Tolkien’s method of building his fictional world. He often drew maps, invented writing systems, and sketched scenes while developing his stories. The visual material helped establish details that later became closely associated with Middle-earth.
Pauline Baynes is a common source of confusion because she illustrated several works by Tolkien’s friend C.S. Lewis and later produced important Tolkien-related artwork. Tolkien himself, however, supplied the original illustrations for The Hobbit. Later editions and adaptations have used many different artists, so the illustrator associated with a modern edition may not be the illustrator of the first edition.