Original Art from the Grand Age of American Illustration
A futuristic and important rare surviving science fiction themed mixed medium illustration by Edward Emshwiller used as the cover for the first sci-fi anthology compiled by Gnome Press under the title “Science Fiction Terror Tales” in 1955. Beautifully framed and matted behind glass and signed “Emsh” lower middle with the artists ink-stamped address on the verso.
Artist: Emsh
A large and expressive avant-garde gouache illustration painting by noted German/American artist and illustrator Carl Link, the dancer pictured is identified on the verso as Dorsha Hayes. In the late 1920’s along with Alberto Varga, Carl Link created numerous covers for the Bernarr MacFadden publication “The Dance” capturing the art deco modernist dance movement in a lyrical and flowing inventive manner. Painting is beautifully framed and matted behind glass and is a defining example from the Charles Martignette collection.
Artist: Carl Link
A haunting and technically masterful painting on board by science fiction and pulp illustrator Hannes Bok, the first artist to win the prestigious Hugo Award. In 1954, Bok contributed this image for the back cover plate of Destiny – No.10, the early sci-fi fanzine published to coincide with the 12th World’s Science Fiction Convention in San Francisco. In that usage, the Tolkien-esque martian illustrates the the Richard E. Geis poem “Kill Me Earthmen.” This is titled on verso “Sentry” and is dated 1944 lower left.
Artist: Hannes Bok
From the estate of legendary jazz-age Ziegfeld Follies photographer Alfred Cheney Johnston comes this sensational pastel by noted American illustrator Penrhyn Stanlaws. Inscribed “To Cheney from Penrhyn Stanlaws”, this is a fabulous offering it features a stylish 1920s flapper girl in a cloche hat admiring her abundant beauty in a compact mirror. This was created as the cover for the October 4, 1924 issue of Collier’s magazine, and later inscribed and gifted to Johnston.
Artist: Penrhyn Stanlaws
A rare surviving art deco gouache painting by one of our favorite American illustrators Edward Eggleston. This was created as the cover for a Valentines Day themed crafting magazine, Dennison’s Party Magazine,Jan/Feb 1928. Eggleston was a New York based calendar artist and illustrator who is best remembered today for his Jazz Age, racy and stylized 1920s Atlantic City travel posters that brought to light the allure of the flapper girl with risque bathing beauty imagery.
Artist: Edward Eggleston
A spectacular surviving pulp cover painting by Norman Saunders for the Popular Publications August 1952 issue of New Detective Magazine, Volume #18 Issue #1. Saunders masterfully employs an extreme perspective and palette to give the scene an intense sense of danger, tension and drama. During the 1950s heyday of pulp magazines, literally hundreds of titles would be competing for customers any given month and publishers used Saunders dramatic, erotic, and intense covers to give their magazines the edge they needed to attract potential buyers at the newsstand.
Artist: Norman Saunders
This large scale, colorful cheesecake pin up painting features a Hawaiian hula girl serenaded by Rogue Magazine’s signature wolf and was created as cover art by Lloyd Rognan for an unidentified issue of the infamous early men’s magazine. Beginning with the first issue of Rogue, Rognan developed a series of these cartoonish little red riding hood inspired entanglements, and this example is particularly appealing. A classic example of mid-century hula girl Hawaiiana in which the magazine’s signature “Rogue Wolf” plays the part of the haole (or in this case howly?) in tourist shirt.
Artist: Lloyd Rognan
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.
Artist: Walter Baumhofer
A south of the border Latin themed large and colorful original pulp cover painting by Rudolph Belarski for the long running magazine Argosy; June 18, 1938. Illustrates the interior story “Senor Coyote” written by Frederick Schiller Faust under the pen name Max Brand. Rudolph Belarski produced many fantastic covers for the pulps he specialized in Aviation themed depictions, his covers were ablaze with color and adventure.
Artist: Rudolph Belarski
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.
Artist: J. W. Scott
