Robert Stanley was a prominent American artist and illustrator, best known for his prolific work on paperback novel covers during the mid-20th century. Born in Wichita, Kansas, Stanley began his artistic journey with early art lessons from a neighbor before attending the Kansas City Art Institute. He started his professional career as a staff artist for The Kansas City Journal Post and sold freelance illustrations to The Kansas City Star and The Kansas City Times.

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In 1938, Stanley moved to New York to pursue freelance illustration, initially struggling to secure steady work. His first published pulp cover appeared on Thrilling Western in April 1939. After serving in the National Guard Cavalry during World War II, Stanley returned to illustration, eventually establishing himself as one of the leading paperback cover artists of the 1950s. He was especially associated with Dell Publishing, where he, alongside Gerald Gregg, became one of their most prolific cover artists between 1950 and 1959. Stanley's realistic style helped define the visual identity of Dell paperbacks. He also worked for other publishers such as Bantam Books and Signet Books.

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Beyond paperbacks, Stanley contributed cover and interior artwork to magazines including Adventure, Argosy, Redbook, Western Story Magazine, and The Saturday Evening Post. He spent his later years in Big Pine Key, Florida, where he died in 1996. Stanley's legacy endures through his influential and widely collected illustrations, which played a significant role in the golden age of American paperback publishing.