Orson Byron Lowell (1871–1956) was an American artist and illustrator of covers and interiors for leading magazines.
Born in Wyoming, Iowa, Lowell was the son of landscapist Milton H. Lowell. He was 11 years old when his family moved in 1882 to Chicago. Lowell attended public school in Chicago until 1887, when he began taking classes at the Art Institute of Chicago, where he studied with J.H. Vanderpoel and Oliver Dennett Grover.
In November 1893, Lowell moved to New York City to build his career. By 1905, his work was in high enough demand to allow him to buy a house in New Rochelle, New York while maintaining his studio in New York. New Rochelle came to be a well-known art colony and illustrator's community soon after his arrival. Residents there included Norman Rockwell, Edward Penfield, J. C. Leyendecker, Franklin Booth and Coles Phillips.
By 1907, he became known for his cartoons with a social message published in the humor magazine Life. A contemporary of illustrator Charles Dana Gibson, Lowell illustrated for major magazines, including American Girl, Century, Cosmopolitan, The Delineator, Judge, Ladies' Home Journal, Leslie's Weekly, McCall's, McClure's, Metropolitan Life, Puck, The Saturday Evening Post, Scribner's, Redbook, Vogue and Woman's Home Companion.