Digital Comic Museum

General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: Drusilla lives! on August 26, 2010, 11:53:57 PM

Title: Pulp art ID.
Post by: Drusilla lives! on August 26, 2010, 11:53:57 PM

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)

Title: Re: Pulp art ID.
Post by: Yoc on August 27, 2010, 12:34:19 AM

I bet Jim has a good idea...

Title: Re: Pulp art ID.
Post by: JVJ (RIP) on August 27, 2010, 08:42:42 AM

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

 :(

(|:{>

Title: Re: Pulp art ID.
Post by: OtherEric on August 27, 2010, 09:19:07 AM

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.

Title: Re: Pulp art ID.
Post by: Drusilla lives! on August 27, 2010, 10:25:00 AM

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.

Title: Re: Pulp art ID.
Post by: JVJ (RIP) on August 27, 2010, 11:04:41 AM

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 (|:{>

Title: Re: Pulp art ID.
Post by: John C on August 27, 2010, 05:05:28 PM

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.

Title: Re: Pulp art ID.
Post by: Drusilla lives! on August 27, 2010, 05:36:51 PM

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 (http://www.philsp.com/homeville/FMI/0start.htm)" 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.

Title: Re: Pulp art ID.
Post by: John C on August 28, 2010, 07:41:18 AM

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).

Title: Re: Pulp art ID.
Post by: darwination on August 28, 2010, 09:20:34 AM

(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)

Title: Re: Pulp art ID.
Post by: Drusilla lives! on August 28, 2010, 03:40:49 PM

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.

Title: Re: Pulp art ID.
Post by: Drusilla lives! on August 28, 2010, 03:58:45 PM

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.  :) 

Title: Re: Pulp art ID.
Post by: JVJ (RIP) on August 28, 2010, 04:27:50 PM

Quote from: Drusilla lives! on August 28, 2010, 03:58:45 PM

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 (|:{>

Title: Re: Pulp art ID.
Post by: darwination on August 28, 2010, 04:50:27 PM

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  ;)

Title: Re: Pulp art ID.
Post by: JVJ (RIP) on August 28, 2010, 04:56:47 PM

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

He has the water down pat.

(|:{>

Title: Re: Pulp art ID.
Post by: Drusilla lives! on August 28, 2010, 07:14:26 PM

Jim, I was referring to the second one with the signature... there are two entries in that fictionmags index for that issue, and apparently BOTH have credited the wrong artist for the cover piece.

Thanks darwination, I think that solves it!  Yes, it definitely looks like the ship has sailed on this one. :P

Title: Re: Pulp art ID.
Post by: JVJ (RIP) on August 28, 2010, 08:14:48 PM

Figured it out eventually, DL,
I've found it helpful to not assume that everyone intuitively knows which post your reply refers to if you don't use the quote feature. Tends to keep the thread on track, even if it gets a tad repetitive at times.

Peace, Jim (|:{>