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.

Grapefruit Moon Gallery is pleased to offer a rare surviving Jerome Rozen pulp cover painting from an as of yet undetermined Street & Smith 1930s publication. This macabre and defining oil on canvas shows an old west tavern with a handsome, smoking-gun-holding cowboy menaced by a hooded villain in Day of the Dead Calaca mask. This masterful dark western themed artwork is tense with imminent danger. Signed lower right; painting has been relined and is ready to frame and enjoy.

The Day of the Dead

Artist: Jerome Rozen

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.

Hoodooed

Artist: John Coughlin

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.

The Stolen Clew

Artist: John Coughlin

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.

The House of Horror

Artist: John Coughlin

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.

Maxwell Sanderson Trapped

Artist: John Coughlin

A rare original Norman Saunders cover painting created for a 1950s era pulp publication. Saunders created a similarly composed Black Mask pulp cover in 1950 with essentially the same scene. This is a defining example of the suspense and danger that are the trademarks of Saunders masterful noir cover paintings. The painting has been estate stamped by the artist’s daughter and work is nicely and professionally framed.

A Masquarading Jewel Thief

Artist: Norman Saunders

A typically action packed interior illustration gouache painting by Mort Kunstler for the April 1957 edition of Sports Afield Magazine. A large menacing polar bear in pre-global warming, shrinking ice cap terrain with a Cessna water landing small aircraft as the backdrop. Nicely matted and framed and in pristine condition. Issue of magazine included in sale, caption reads “Not now!” I screamed at him. Too Late. There was no sound of slug hitting flesh. Instead, it chopped through the fuselage and smashed into the motor…

Top of the World

Artist: Mort Künstler

A dazzling and otherworldly cover painting by Virgil Finlay for the August 1947 edition of “Famous Fantastic Mysteries” illustrating the interior story by Andrew Marvell titled “Minimum Man”,”A Novel of Terror Unseen”. A scarce commissioned science fiction themed pulp cover from this long running title for Popular Publications and a rare surviving luminous example and one of Finlay’s finest celebrated cerebral creations.

Minimum Man

Artist: Virgil Finlay

A tense and clever, menace-themed, rare surviving cover painting for the January 1939 issue of Double Action Detective.. A Science Fiction/Spicy Pulp epic entanglement illustrating George Alden Edson’s story, The Midnight Murderer. This original oil-on-canvas painting is unsigned, we are of the strong belief that it was done Rudolph Zirm. A xeroxed color print of the pulp magazine cover proof is included in the sale.

Double Action Detective Menace Pulp

Artist: Rudolph Zirm (attributed)

A rare surviving spicy pulp cover painting by Rudolph Zirm. This menace themed oil on canvas was published April 1939 as the cover for Undercover Detective, illustrating the interior story “The Devil’s Pigeons”. A facsimile reissue edition of the pulp magazine featuring Zirm’s cover is included with sale.

The Devil’s Pigeons

Artist: Rudolph Zirm

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