Original Art from the Grand Age of American Illustration
Publishers of depression-era pulp magazines, post war men’s adventure and girlie magazines, and lurid paperback titles all used risqué, action-packed illustrations to make their offerings jump off the newsstands in the highly competitive market for readers attention. Cover art pushed the boundaries of what was allowable in a heavily-censored era, coming up with increasingly deviant and outlandish portrayals of sex, violence, and perilous escapes from danger. Today, these works—which provide an intriguing peek into the shadow side of 20th century American culture—are studied by historians and coveted by collectors.
A feisty redhead is caught in a private moment in this voyeuristic and menacing published pulp painting that was used as the cover of Ecstasy Books #15 "Wanton By Night." The image is filled with classic pulp iconography, from the scantily-clad femme fatale hurryingly drawing down her shade in the close confines of urban apartment […]
Artist: George Gross
Price: $2,950.00
This original painting by John Hilkert, which appeared as the cover of the Canadian edition of 10-Story Detective Magazine in January 1943, provides an intriguing window into little known moment in pulp art history.
Artist: John Hilkert
Price: $7,500.00
An original painting by Fred Rodewald which appeared as the cover of the December, 1949 edition of the digest pulp fiction title Exotic Novel Magazine.
Artist: Fred Rodewald
Price: $4,500.00
This fresh to the market lively cover painting by Earle K. Bergey appeared as the cover of the winter 1948 issue of the Better Publications title Cartoon Humor. A breezy co-ed pin-up girl in a form fitting red sweater enjoys a snowy sled ride frolic, sending a good natured but clearly over the hill dandy into the powder. He […]
Artist: Earle K. Bergey
Price: $7,500.00
On offer is a remarkable published pulp cover painting by Lejaren Hiller (American, 1880-1969), titled Absinthe, for Flynn's Weekly Detective Fiction Magazine - April 21, 1928. Between 1924 and 1939, the artist created hundreds of covers for this long running title, and this is among the most captivating. The image showcases an up-to-the-minute smoking flapper girl feeling strangely […]
Artist: Lejaren Hiller
Price: $8,500.00
A ghastly and macabre pulp cover painting by Mel Hunter for the January, 1958 edition of Mercury Mystery Book-Magazine, this loosely illustrated a story by Floyd Mahannah titled The Broken Angel. A voluptuous redheaded vixen appears in a moodily conceived graveyard at night with an ominous figure in a top-hat looming near an […]
Artist: Mel Hunter
Price: $3,950.00
A lurid and outright creepy cover painting by Nicholas Solovioff for the August, 1955 edition of Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, loosely illustrated the interior story Bride In Danger. A beautiful corpse, a once blushing bride on her honeymoon, is now found alone on a desolate beach, bloodied and left in the open […]
Artist: Nicholas Solovioff
Price: $3,500.00
In this gouache-on-board cover illustration for 1952's The Scarlet Slipper, James Meese captures the unique mixture of the American homestead with a tough-talking private eye in the mix.
Artist: James Alfred Meese
Price: $3,850.00
This was the original camera ready artwork used in the production of the 1970 Avon paperback edition of the novel The Favorite Game by Leonard Cohen.
Artist: Milton Charles
Price: $850.00
This gouache illustration painting appeared on the cover of Naked Sinner, the 1959 "savage novel of a wild call girl and her shocking immoral affairs".
Artist: American Artist
Price: $4,800.00
A subversive youth gone wild party scene original cover painting by Peter Driben likely used for a paperback book title published by the Novel Library imprint. During the 1950s a hedonistic bohemian fictional sub-culture existed where teens smoked reefer and engaged in orgiastic exploits while becoming addicted to heroin. In showing these delinquents pursuing their darkest sinful desires, the illustrators of the day seemed to take great joy and this is a prime example of this sort of homage to debauchery.
Artist: Peter Driben
Price: $4,500.00
This dramatic, futuristic sci-fi interior pulp illustration was created by Harold McCauley for an as-of-yet unidentified Ziff-Davis title.
Artist: Harold McCauley
Price: $2,950.00
