Lorraine Fox was born in Brooklyn in 1922. She graduated from Pratt Institute in 1944 and studied painting with Reuben Tam at the Brooklyn Museum Art School in the 1960s.

Fox began contributing illustrations to major periodicals in the late 1940s. In 1951, she joined the Charles E. Cooper Studio, considered one of the most influential studios for commercial art and photography. Her work appeared in Better Homes and Gardens, Woman's Day, Seventeen, and McCall's, in addition to many other national publications. She also illustrated book and album covers, children's books, and advertisements. Fox, who was later represented by Frank Lavaty and Jeff Lavaty, worked in a variety of media, including pencil, watercolors, and oils. In addition to commercial work, she exhibited in numerous galleries and museums, often alongside her husband, fellow illustrator Bernie D'Andrea. Her work is included in the collections of the Society of Illustrators Museum of American Illustration.

Fox began teaching illustration at Parsons School of Design in 1965, and remained at the school until shortly before her death in 1976. In 1977, she was the subject of an article in American Artist by illustrator and former Parsons instructor Murray Tinkelman, who identifies her as one of the first artists to successfully demonstrate the viability of illustration in an age of photography. Fox consistently stressed the importance of finding her "inner vision" as an artist and illustrator, a trait that allowed her to interpret commercial assignments in often arresting and unconvential ways. In 1979, Lorraine Fox was inducted into the Illustrators Hall of Fame, and remains one of the few female illustrators to receive this recognition.