• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Key Artists
    • Rolf Armstrong
    • Mahlon Blaine
    • Henry Clive
    • Gil Elvgren
    • Cardwell Higgins
    • Earl Moran
    • Charles Gates Sheldon
    • Arthur Prince Spear
    • Bunny Yeager
  • About
  • Browse by Topic
  • Contact

Grapefruit Moon Gallery

Original Art from the Grand Age of American Illustration

  • Gallery Blog
  • Golden Gallery
  • Fine & Decorative
  • Illustration & Advertising
  • Paperback & Pulp
  • Pin-Up & Glamour
Paperback & Pulp Art

Houseboy

Artist:Victor Olson
Date:1953
Medium:Oil on Illustration Board
Dimensions:Sight Size 13" x 18" Framed 21 1/2" X 27 1/2"
Condition:Excellent
Original Use:Cover for Houseboy - 1953, Pyramid Books
Full view
Full view
The artist's signature lower right
The artist’s signature lower right
The artwork as the cover of Pyramid Book - Houseboy (included in sale)
The artwork as the cover of Pyramid Book – Houseboy (included in sale)

This oil on illustration board Pyramid Books paperback cover painting was created by by Victor Olson for a 1953 edition of Houseboy by Edison Marshall written under the nom de plum Walton Fairbank (ostensibly because of the controversial topic of interracial relationships explored in the title).The story was originally written as a Jim Crow title in the late 40s and was reissued in 1953 as a paperback with this cover art, a copy of the published book is included in the sale. The text synopsis slug reads as follows: “How long could this boy and girl – Negro and white – keep their fascination secret? What really happened when their relationship was exposed? Unforgettable for its realism, Houseboy is the brilliant and sympathetic account of a passion that brought grim and tragic consequences…” Painting is signed lower right, and nicely matted and framed under glass and ready to enjoy.

Framed View
Framed View
Detail
Detail
View of whole illustration board before framing
View of whole illustration board before framing
Verso view before framing
Verso view before framing
Back cover story synopsis and text slug
Back cover story synopsis and text slug

Houseboy

Artist: Victor Olson

Filed Under: Paperback & Pulp Art, Sorry, It's Sold
Tagged With: 1950s, american, Golden Age, lurid, original cover art, original illustration art, original interior illustration, paperback, pulp, Pyramid Books, risque, Victor Olson
Added to Gallery: November 18, 2016

 

Contact Grapefruit Moon Gallery



    Primary Sidebar

    Join our mailing list

    Grapefruit Moon Gallery Around the Web

    • Facebook
    • Instagram

    Copyright © 2025