William Gropper (1897-1977) was a cartoonist, painter, and muralist known for his contributions to Social Realism painting and his political cartoons in left wing publications in the early and middle of the 20th century. Gropper was born in New York City to Jewish immigrants from Romania and Ukraine who worked in the garment industry. He worked as an illustrator for the New York Tribune, and later contributed to left wing publications including The Masses, The Liberator, and The Revolutionary Age. Gropper was also the staff cartoonist for Morgen Freiheit, a Yiddish publication affiliated with the Communist Party, USA. Gropper's drawings for these publications frequently portrayed workers with compassion and critiqued powerful politicians or business owners. He also created multiple murals as part of the Works Progress Administration (WPA). Although he prolifically contributed to communist publications, Gropper was not formally a member of the organization and declined specifying affiliations to political parties.