Elihu Vedder (26 February 1836 – 29 January 1923) was an American symbolist painter, book illustrator and poet from New York City.

[1] He is best known for his fifty-five illustrations for Edward FitzGerald's translation of The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam (deluxe edition, published by Houghton Mifflin).

His brother, Dr. Alexander Madison Vedder, was a Navy surgeon who witnessed the transformation of Japan into a modern culture while he was stationed there.

Penniless, Vedder returned to the United States during the American Civil War and made a small living undertaking commercial illustrations.

His daughter Anita Herriman Vedder played a vital role in handling the business of her father, who was notorious for his general aloofness towards details.

Elihu's son Enoch Rosekrans Vedder was a promising architect who married jewelry designer Angela Reston.