Burne Hogarth's (1911–1996) remarkable career spanned more than 60 years. He wore many hats in the worlds of fine art, art education, and art publishing. He is most famous for his internationally syndicated Sunday newspaper color-page feature Tarzan (1937–1950) and for his illustrated adaptations of the Edgar Rice Burroughs novels Tarzan of the Apes and Jungle Tales of Tarzan. A cofounder of the School of Visual Arts in New York City, Hogarth remains one of the most influential figures in art education today.

Edgar Rice Burroughs (1875–1950) was a fantasy and science fiction writer. After a failed attempt at a military career, Burroughs became a writer, publishing his first story Under the Moons of Mars. Burroughs is responsible for creating one of the most recognizable characters in the history of fiction in Tarzan, and one of the most iconic characters in sci-fi with John Carter. In total, Burroughs published more than thirty works during his lifetime.