Charles Geer

Charles Hand Geer (August 25, 1922 – December 7, 2008) was an American illustrator, painter and author. He illustrated numerous books, mainly for children and young adults, and created a wide variety of cover paintings for books in many genres.

Geer grew up on Long Island, New York, attended Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, and then served in the United States Navy during World War II. Following the war he attended art school at the Pratt Institute.

Many of the buildings in his illustrations and covers feature Second Empire architecture, with their characteristic mansard roofs.

Geer lived until his death in 2008 in Rockland, Maine, where he enjoyed sailing and painting watercolors. Over the years he built several boats.