Who illustrated the original 1926 Winnie-the-Pooh book?

E. H. Shepard illustrated the original 1926 Winnie-the-Pooh book.

Ernest Howard Shepard was an English artist and book illustrator whose delicate black-and-white drawings helped define Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore and the other characters. He also illustrated Milne’s sequel, The House at Pooh Corner, and several of Milne’s poetry books.

Shepard had worked as a cartoonist for Punch before collaborating with Milne. Their partnership developed after Shepard illustrated When We Were Very Young in 1924. Milne’s stories and Shepard’s observational drawings together created the visual identity associated with the original books.

Shepard’s work is sometimes confused with later Disney designs. The original illustrations are more naturalistic and restrained, while Disney’s animated Pooh became rounder and was usually shown wearing a red shirt. Shepard also drew the famous map of the Hundred Acre Wood, which appears near the beginning of the first book.