Paperback & Pulp Art

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 rare surviving cover painting by JW Scott, created for a yet unidentified Western pulp publication. A gritty old west scene of a group of cowboys reloading and preparing to fire above a rugged desert pass. The artist created this utilizing an impasto technique that brings a tension and urgent intensity to the Americana Western genre classic. Illustration Magazine recently devoted a large portion of issue #14 on the life and works of John Walter Scott, who worked during the 1930s creating numerous and stylistically diverse pulp covers, the verso canvas notes this was a cover for a “Sept 8 Western,” possibly referring to the “Complete Western Book” or “Wild Western Novels” both of which commissioned covers by Scott.

The Calico Kid

Artist: J. W. Scott

A sensational, action packed, original oil painting by Allen Anderson. Commissioned as a cover for the pulp title Spicy Detective this work illustrates “The Corpse is Yours” by Robert A. Garron in the May 1941 issue. The artist created a number of these spicy covers for Culture Publications in the 1930s and 1940s. Anderson had some fun with this painting, presenting his signature on the canvas of the oil painting pictured within the scene, he also employs a very thick impasto technique on the paint colors that appears on the artist’s palette at the bottom of the field to appear as fresh paint used on the canvas being created within.

The Corpse Is Yours

Artist: Allen Anderson

A lurid, action filled, original pulp cover oil on canvas by Harry Lemon Parkhurst / H. L. Parkhurst, one of the premier artists creating spicy pulp imagery for Culture Publications during the 1930s – 40s. This work illustrates “It’s Your Funeral” by Robert A. Garron and was used as the cover for the June 1941 issue of Private Detective. Surviving pulp paintings for this title and by this artist are scarce and this painting has it all; action, danger, drama, menace and movement.

It’s Your Funeral

Artist: H. L. Parkhurst

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 Pre-View

Artist: Cardwell Higgins

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”.

Sex Was My Racket

Artist: Cardwell Higgins

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.

Mountain Girls of Tibet

Artist: Mort Künstler

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.

Garden of 1000 Brides

Artist: Mort Künstler

A bizarre and gritty subway terror scene by Mort Kunstler from the “War at Home” genre prevalent in 1960s Men’s Magazine art. This depiction finds a handful of thugs in their best Lords of Flatbush garb accosting a pretty mod damsel. A square jawed, tough as nails Cold War era Military Man prevails in the name of justice over some assorted juvenile delinquents in this archetypical depiction of the ongoing culture war of the 60s. This was used as a May cover “For Men Only Magazine” with the title “Underground Angels Who Terrorized New York’s Subways”. This is an electric work; if you are a fan of the genre, this gouache painting has it all.

Underground Angels

Artist: Mort Künstler

Grapefruit Moon Gallery is delighted to offer this recently unearthed George Jerome Rozen pulp painting featuring the Shadow in dramatic confrontation. Featured as the cover of the September 15, 1936 edition of Street and Smith’s long running series “The Shadow,” this is an important offering an exceedingly scarce surviving original pulp cover painting from the golden age of illustration. Recently uncovered from a Pennsylvania estate, as collectors will lament, original cover paintings from The Shadow prove near impossible to locate.

The Shadow In Jibaro Death

Artist: Jerome Rozen

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.

Hawksbill Station

Artist: Don Ivan Punchatz

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