Who illustrated the first edition cover of J.K. Rowling’s Philosopher’s Stone?

Thomas Taylor illustrated the first edition cover of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. Taylor was a young artist working at Bloomsbury when he was selected to create the cover image.

His illustration shows Harry standing in front of the Hogwarts Express at King’s Cross station, with the title and author’s name arranged prominently above him. The image helped define the appearance of the first British edition and became closely associated with the beginning of the series.

Taylor later explained that he had read the manuscript before drawing the cover. His artwork should not be confused with the later illustrated editions by Jim Kay, or with Mary GrandPré’s cover art for the American editions. Those artists contributed different visual interpretations at different stages of the franchise.