Above: Full view of artwork

Above: The published painting as it appeared on the Signet cover (included in sale)

Above: The artist’s signature

A classic bad girl paperback cover illustration by the gifted and prolific Rafael DeSoto for the 1951 Signet Book release of Frances Clippinger’s Elinda (The Satellite). Text reads “She Knew All The Tricks – And Used Them”. There has been a recent interest in this era of paperbacks by historians and savvy art collectors, previous auction records by the leading cover artists such as Rudy Nappi, Raymond Pease and James Avati have been recently obliterated as selections from the Charles Martignette collection have found their way to auction.This image is a noir classic, the same model and manner of dress the artist used for his most iconic cover H is for Heroin.

Above: Frame detail

Above: Framed and matted behind glass in handsome wide profile silver metal finished wood gallery frame

Rafael Desoto was one of several artists that made the transition to paperbacks from the pulps. He produced pulp covers up until the demise of the industry in the 1950s, for such magazines as Adventure, Argosy, Black Mask, Captain Zero, Crack Detective, Fantastic Novels, 15-Story Detective, Fifteen Western Tales, New Detective, Smashing Detective, and Walt Coburn’s Western Magazine. In the 1950s he also produced many paperback book covers for Ace, Bantam, Dell, Lion, Signet, and Pocket Books, including the iconic H Is For Heroin for Popular Library. This painting is in a very fine original state of conservation and beautifully matted and framed behind glass.