Pulp art ID.

[Drusilla lives!]

Not exactly comic book related but... I was wondering if anyone knew offhand the names of the artists that regularly painted the covers to the pulp "The Frontier" (later to be renamed "Frontier Stories") during the mid to late 1920s.  

From what I've seen, they're all rather exceptional IMO, but I'm particularly interested in who painted the covers to the May, 1926 and May, 1927 issues.

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_WBagVNVxSLI/SB4NQ9v1RzI/AAAAAAAARkI/JndUaO-zXbI/s512/frontier192605%20%20bedsheet%20size%20%20contributed%20by%20rob%20preston.JPG

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_WBagVNVxSLI/SB4NJ9v1RSI/AAAAAAAARfo/CZJ_hIpCiC4/frontierst192705%20%20contributed%20by%20rob%20preston.JPG

[Yoc]

I bet Jim has a good idea...

[JVJ (RIP)]

Alas, Yoc, no he doesn't....

 

(|:{>

[OtherEric]

Sorry, my very limited collection of pulps doesn't go back nearly that far, and there's very few artists I can ID without a signature.

One site that's helpful for Science Fiction Pulps is

http://www.isfdb.org/

which has exact credits for a LOT of magazines.  But that won't help on your particular search, sadly.

[Drusilla lives!]

I kinda figured it was a long shot, thanks anyway guys. 

That second cover has a signature, but I just can't make it out... I guess I'll have to track down a few more covers and see what I can piece together.

[JVJ (RIP)]

A close-up scan of the signature MIGHT help a lot, DL.

Post as high a res shot as you can and I'll try to decipher it for you.

Peace, Jim (|:{>

[John C]

After looking at it zoomed to different degrees, that signature (lower right) reads as "WLMinders," to me, for what that's worth.  Unless there's a serious aberration in scanning that corner, the M is also fairly distinct, as three vertical bars beside each other--long, short, long, all descending from the same height.

[Drusilla lives!]

Actually John, you're amazingly close!  It turns out to be by A. H. Bittner.  I couldn't make anything out of that... great going.    

The first one is by William Reusswig.

I did a little more web research by following some of the links on the "PulpFest 2010" site.  I hit on the "The FictionalMags Index" link where I found cover info for a good number of the Frontier and Frontier Stories mags (as well as many other pulp titles)... yet another site I've added to my bookmarks bar.

[John C]

Ah, I see it now.  I grouped the verticals weirdly and talked myself out of the first initial being an R (instead of the A that's actualy there).

[darwination]

http://i43.tinypic.com/2vslqfr.jpg

http://i43.tinypic.com/9gj828.jpg

Hey guys, yes, the first is Ruesswig, and I happen own and have scanned and blogged the issue.  A gorgeous pulp.

http://darwinscans.blogspot.com/2009/05/frontier-may-1926.html

As for the second, another beautiful cover, the fictionmags index (an amazing resource for certain) lists it as A.H. Bittner, an artist I've never heard of and which the signature on the page doesn't necessarily indicate.  I'm assuming this credit was taken from the contents page and that I'm blowing smoke, but I'm not so sure about that assignation.  Cimm has this one - hope he doesn't mind me sharing the image and perhaps he'd take a look at his copy to double check the artist credit if he sees this  

http://i35.tinypic.com/jhg3th.jpg

http://i33.tinypic.com/2u95yxc.jpg

and a close-up of the sig.

http://i34.tinypic.com/atmd0y.jpg

[Drusilla lives!]

Wow, thanks for those cover scans!  They make those covers look even more impressive imo.

Btw, I was looking at the title page from the scans posted on your blog of the first pulp (the one with the Ruesswig cover) and noticed that it lists an A. H. Bittner as associate editor.  So perhaps it is a mistake and he isn't the one who painted the second one.

[Drusilla lives!]

Ah hah!   There is another entry for this particular issue on the fictionmags index and this one credits a W. M. Allison as the cover artist... which makes just a bit more sense (although not much) judging by the looks of that signature... hopefully Cimm could confirm this, eventually.   

[JVJ (RIP)]

Ah hah!   There is another entry for this particular issue on the fictionmags index and this one credits a W. M. Allison as the cover artist... which makes just a bit more sense (although not much) judging by the looks of that signature... hopefully Cimm could confirm this, eventually.   

I wish I knew which "this particular issue" you were referring to, DL. It helps to be more specific in these posts. As for W.M. Allison, it's highly doubtful that he did either of them and that certainly is NOT his signature on the second one.

Peace, Jim (|:{>

[darwination]

Lol, I thought that credit for the May 1927 issue might be fishy.

I'm pretty sure the artist is H.C. Murphy.  Here's his signature:

http://i37.tinypic.com/29z38k5.jpg

and the sig again from above, I'm not quite sure how these will line up until I see them posted here...

http://i34.tinypic.com/atmd0y.jpg

A quick look at his cover credits on Fictionmags shows that he was very active in this time period and that he did in fact do at least one other cover for Frontier Stories as well as covers for many other Fiction House magazines.  I happen to have a couple pulps in my collection with covers by Mr. Murphy in a similar color scheme, so here are the cover images:

Adventure, May 20 1924  

http://i34.tinypic.com/wsv22q.jpg

http://i34.tinypic.com/16hw75s.jpg

Sea Stories, August 1929

http://i34.tinypic.com/1q0k7r.jpg

http://i37.tinypic.com/r9h4pv.jpg

The second one is scanned and available here:
http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?djwlm22zzmo

So perhaps the sun has set on this particular mystery 

[JVJ (RIP)]

Sure LOOKS like the same style, doesn't it, darwination?

He has the water down pat.

(|:{>