Edward Loper Sr. (1916–2011) was an American painter known for his vibrant use of color and commitment to the arts. Born in Wilmington, Delaware, Loper graduated from Howard High School, the only high school available to African Americans in the city at the time. Loper was self-taught and developed his artistic skill by spending time at the Wilmington Public Library and making regular visits to the Philadelphia Museum of Art to study the works of the great masters.
During the Great Depression, Loper was employed by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) as part of the Index of American Design at the National Gallery of Art. In 1937, he became the first African American artist whose work was in the Delaware Art Museum. By 1940, he was featured in Alain Locke’s book, The Negro in Art. In 1963, Loper studied under Violette de Mazia at the Barnes Foundation.
Edward Loper Sr.'s work is held in numerous collections, including the Delaware History Museum, the National Gallery of Art, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, and the University of Delaware’s Paul R. Jones Collection, among others.