Howard Pyle (1853–1911) was an illustrator, author, and teacher. He is well-known for his works "The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood," "King Arthur," and his illustrations of pirates.

Pyle was born in Wilmington, Delaware. He studied art with the Belgian painter Francis Adolf Van der Wielen (1847-?) in Philadelphia from 1869 to 1872 and attended classes at the Art Students League in New York. Pyle returned to Wilmington in 1879. He was a frequent contributor of short stories and illustrations to popular magazines such as Scribners Magazine, Harper's Weekly, and St. Nicholas. He also began to write and illustrate his own books.

Pyle taught at the Drexel Institute in Philadelphia, where he was appointed director of the School of Illustration; at the Art Institute in Chicago; and at the Art Students League in New York. In 1898, Pyle, with financial backing from Drexel, founded a summer art school at Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania; the summer school proved successful and continued until 1903. In 1900, Pyle resigned his position at Drexel and founded the Howard Pyle School of Art in Wilmington. Pyle's former students include many of the best-known American illustrators of the period, including Violet Oakley (1874-1961), N.C. Wyeth (1882-1945), Gayle Porter Hoskins (1887-1962), and Frank Schoonover (1877-1972).

In 1905, Pyle retired from teaching, however, he continued to lecture and advise former students. His illustration career remained successful, and he began to receive commissions for murals. In 1910 to 1911, Pyle traveled to Italy to study murals and died while abroad on the trip.