That a recent show at a prestigious museum in Brooklyn, New York focused on dozens of original cover illustrations from a rare private collection demonstrates the emerging interest and importance of lurid and sensational pulp cover art. Original artwork from this genre and the thematically related but chronologically later Men's Adventure Magazine's of the 1950's - 60's or The Postwar Pulps (as the genre is sometines referred to) is very scarce, as most was destroyed shortly after publication in short-lived runs. Often featuring bizarre and disturbing "damsels in distress" cover art, these newsstand publications pushed whatever envelopes had existed prior to the Hayes Commission and the Decency Act.

Sex Was My Racket Cardwell Higgins	Tiger Woman of Shadow Valley Harold H.W. McCauley

A bizarre and other-wordly rare surviving pulp cover painting by Harold W. McCauley for the October 1949 edition of "Amazing Stories". A lurid and menacing, yet strangely beautiful illustration for the story "Tiger Women of Shadow Valley" by Berkeley Livingston. Story caption reads "There Was Death In Her Embrace". This inspired work perfectly captures the luminous commercial technique and painterly elements of a successful Haddon Sundblom "Sundblom Shop" graduate and disciple in collision with pin-up girl, erotic science fiction pulp culture.

A rare surviving pastel cover illustration by Cardwell Higgins for the first issue of Screen Humor Magazine; January 1934, Volume #1 - Issue #1. A very sexy flapper girl in silk stockings and garter belts from the art deco era when America's news stands were filled with these often times very short lived runs of titillating Spicy Pulp titles that featured brazenly erotic pin-up girl depictions of showgirls and jazz-age playthings.

A bold, defining and lurid pastel cover illustration for The July 1942 "Expose Detective True Crime Cases" illustrating the interior story "Sex Was My Racket". In this case the tables are turned to lurid effect as the typically menaced pin-up queen cover girl is brandishing a large gleaming knife and a hard boiled outlook. A large and desirable rare surviving example of the detective genre of the Spicy Pulps. From the important estate of Charles Martignette, co-author of "The Great American Pin-up".

A large gouache illustration for the cover of the October 1960 edition of Stag Magazine. A daring mountain top rescue illustrating the interior story "Three Months With The Wild Mountain Girls of Tibet" - "Sgt. Gregory's Escape From Red Chinese Captivity". A compelling read we are certain and by all accounts an action packed large scale gouache illustration.

A tense and hyper-realist original gouache illustration by the highly regarded and prolific illustrator Mort Kunstler, this interior 2-page spread appeared in the May 1963 edition of True Action and possibly as a cover for Male Magazine in 1960. The lurid, defining action-filled image captures the prevailing nihilism associated with the 1960s "sweat magazine" art and envelope-pushing adventure fiction. This large and impacting gouache work takes place at a Korean brothel and plays on the Cold War-era fears which were prevalent in the aftermath of the Korean War.

A well rendered 1970s time capsule painting by Don Ivan Punchatz, for the paperback cover of the 1970 Avon title "Hawksbill Station". This work is reminiscent of the album cover art from this remarkable time, and speaks to the psychedelic youth culture popular at the time, which moved from the buttoned-up consumerist graphics of the previous generation towards hyper realist imagery thought to heighten the sensations of LSD and marijuana. Work is unframed and mounted on a masonite panel, a copy of the book is included in the sale.

This April 16, 1927 cover painting for "Detective Story Magazine" by John A. Coughlin is titled on verso "Hoodooed." The well rendered oil on canvas, signed lower left, depicts a train robbery heist scene, that from the title appears to fit into a larger intrigue of voodoo and mystery. This rare Street and Smith commissioned cover painting has been relined and stretched on new pine stretchers and is ready to frame and enjoy.

A charming scarce surviving Street & Smith published pulp cover painting by John A. Coughlin, this was most likely used as the cover of the May 13, 1922 issue of "Detective Story Magazine". The verso is titled "The Stolen Clew", the dramatic and mysterious scene features Fu Manchu emerging from the background into the lair of a mad scientist. Research leads us to believe that this illustrates a scene from "Dr. Kreener's Last Experiment," a serialized story from Sax Rohmer's "The Insidious Dr. Fu Manchu," which was published in Detective Story Magazine.

An early published and signed oil on canvas by John A. Coughlin for an as of yet unidentified Street & Smith pulp title. The hand of a New York City police officer is seen menacing a formally attired crowd in a surreal, chaotic action packed moment. A rare surviving original cover painting from The Golden Age of Illustration and a recent Pennsylvania estate find. Verso is titled "You Can't Win" with a partial Street & Smith publishing label as seen. Relined and restretched and ready to frame and enjoy.

A rare surviving oil on canvas depicting the rogue pulp detective magazine villain Maxwell Sanderson in one of his serialized escapades. This was created as a commissioned cover for the July 16, 1929 issue of Street and Smith's "Detective Story Magazine." Painted by John A. Coughlin, this work finds Sanderson with his hand caught in the safe--verso is notated with a publishing date and the title "Sanderson Trapped." Relined and ready to frame and enjoy.