Grapefruit Moon Gallery

Original Art from the Grand Age of American Illustration

damsel in distress

This is an early and large oil on canvas by Norman Saunders created as cover art for Dell publications, but never used. An electrifying, spicy pulp era entanglement with all the essential pulp elements of peril, danger, terror with erotic excitement. A damsel in distress is held in bondage as assorted toughs and thugs have it out amongst themselves guns-a-blaze in this art deco scene. Set against the backdrop of a machine-age steamroom, filled with modernist and industrial gadgets, this both speaks to the peril of gangsterism in the Great Depression 30s and the dark side of progress.

Shootout Along The Steampipes

Artist: Norman Saunders
Price:  S O L D

A gritty Western pulp cover painting by Walter Baumhofer- “The King of Pulps”-created for the May 1933 issue of Dime Western magazine. The image is a humorous wink at the spicy pulp world featuring a tied-up bondage-posed beauty looking askance at the stereotypical cowboy card game scene she finds herself trapped in. 1933 marked the peak in popularity of the short-lived spicy pulp genre, which gleaned much of its success from eye-catching, drama-filled, damsel-in distress covers similar to this.

Blind Man’s Bluff

Artist: Walter Baumhofer
Price:  S O L D

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
Price:  S O L D

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
Price:  S O L D

A vignette style interior illustration by Charles Chambers for an as of yet undetermined American slick magazine, featuring a damsel being rescued from rising waters in a precarious flood zone destination. This style of vignette painting likely had text overlaid in in the final printed version. The white painted expanses upper left and lower right would become part of the story developments and turns, to keep the 1920s magazine reader glued to the adventure and action in the story.

From the Flood

Artist: Charles Edward Chambers
Price:  S O L D

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)
Price:  S O L D

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
Price:  S O L D

A rare surviving cover painting by Harold H.W. McCauley for the September 1938 edition of Fantastic Adventures; Volume #1 issue #5. This is likely the earliest commissioned pulp cover illustration by the artist. A classic art deco depiction of the perils of the near future space age, as envisioned in the campy, naive era of the 1930s. The mild bondage, damsel in distress content provided an additional titillating shock at the newsstands which carried this early pulp/science fiction title.

Futurist Raygun Firefight

Artist: Harold McCauley
Price:  S O L D

An alternate cover for the October 1957 Issue of Imagination Science Fiction, by Lloyd Rognan, illustrating the interior story “You Can’t Buy Eternity” by Dwight V. Swain. This oil on canvas board original illustration differs from the published cover (which was also painted by Rognan) in several respects, notable the blond in peril on the published cover is envisioned in this rendering as a brunette. Which lends credence to the belief that a pulp cover artists life was not easy and was often subject to publishers whims and guidance. A published complete copy of the magazine is included in the sale.

You Can’t Buy Eternity

Artist: Lloyd Rognan
Price:  S O L D

Original cover art from a story by Private Robert Ross Carney from the pages of the July 1972 Adventure for Men. Story is titled The Battle The Big Brass Bungled. Artwork is a gouache on illustration board and nicely matted and framed. A genre defining noir World War II daring rescue depiction with the required damsel in distress and the menacing SS officers getting foiled by sheer tenacity and by the element of suprise. ( Not unlike a vintage Hogan’s Heroes T.V. episode…) By the well listed illustrator and pulp cover artist George Gross.

Battle The Big Brass Bungled

Artist: George Gross
Price:  S O L D

 

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