The son of German muralist Gustave Gutgemon, Walter Popp was born in New York and studied art at the New York Phoenix School of Design.  After serving in the U.S. Army during World War II, Popp launched his career as a freelance illustrator.  Popp began as an illustrator for pulp magazines before moving on to painting paperback covers in the 1950s.  He remained active, designing the covers for gothic romance novels, into the 1990s.

A small sampling of his work can be found below.