Born in New Jersey, Edd Cartier studied art at the Pratt Institute.  After his graduation in 1936, Cartier found work illustrating pulp magazines like The Shadow, Astounding Science Fiction, Doc Savage Magazine, Planet Stories, Fantastic Adventures, and Unknown.  He later served in the U.S. Army during World War II and was severely wounded at the Battle of the Bulge.  After returning to the United States, he continued to work as an illustrator until the 1950s when, frustrated by the low pay for freelance artists, Cartier retired from the pulps found work as a draftsman for an engineering firm.  In 1992, Cartier was given the World Fantasy Lifetime Achievement Award.