Compiled and edited by Walt Reed, and published by the Society of Illustrators, The Illustrator in America: 1860 - 2000 is quite an impressive and a valuable tome. The third edition goes back to examine the illustrators at work during the Civil War era -- so you won't get just pulp artists here, but a great survey of illustration that reveals the origins of and influences on the artists of the pulps and the work of the post-pulp period that was influenced by the pulp era.
The obvious greats are here -- N.C. Wyeth, Joseph Leyendecker, Dean Cornwell, J. Allen St. John, Hannes Bok, Walter Baumhofer, and Rudy Belarski -- as well as some names that don't always get mentioned in the first rush whenever pulp art is discussed: Robert A. Graef, Benton Clark, Nick Eggenhofer, John Russell Fulton, Herbert Morton Stoops, Raymond F. Houlihan, and others.
The focus on the book is primarily work in the advertising and slick magazine fields. So pulp work isn't frequently pictured. For example, an Adventure cover painting accompanies the Baumhofer entry, not a Doc Savage cover (p. 260); a paperback cover painting accompanies Belarski's entry (p. 261); Emery Clarke's work for Street & Smith gets mentioned, but a Saturday Evening Post cover is depicted (p. 264); Blue Book gets a mention in Lealand R. Gustavson's entry, but an illustration for The Saturday Evening Post stands alongside it.
On the other hand, a Blue Book illustration accompanies Hamilton Greene's entry (p. 277); a Western Story Magazine cover stands alongside Eggenhofer's entry (p. 221); and Tom Lovell gets a two-page spread featuring illustrations from True magazine and Good Housekeeping, a painting of Native Americans from his historical series about the Lewis and Clark expedition, and a cover for Ace-High Western (pp. 282-283) -- that's pretty darn inclusive!
While the book isn't heavy with pulp illustrations, it's clear that the pulp artist's dream wasn't much different from that of the pulp writer -- each wanted to move from the pulp market to the better-paying slick magazine market. So when example pieces of art by known pulp artists are borrowed from the slicks rather than the pulps, Mr. Reed has probably selected what is a better piece of work, or one that reproduces better, or may be more representational of the artist's main body of work. Something else to consider: the art of the slick magazines is probably easier to locate than that of the pulp magazines, which usually end up in many libraries' serial collections. Not too many libraries stock back issues of pulp magazines.
Even when the pieces of art pictured aren't from a pulp magazine, the former pulp artists may be illustrating the work of a former pulp writer. For, as mentioned, pulp writers yearned to move to the slick market, as did the artists.
Despite some overlooked pulp artists -- where's Earl Mayan or Edd Cartier or Earl Bergey? -- this is a great book. A handsome survey of illustration that you should own if you're interested in the field.
You can purchase this book at Amazon. Click here to learn more about this book.
Posted by ds at September 26, 2002 03:30 PM
I have a 1980 letter from Walter Baumhofer but can't seem to find a photograph of him to put with it.
Can anyone help? Anything I can download would be great.
Don K.
Posted by: Don Kurtz at August 26, 2003 10:36 PM
Dear Sir,
If you are a fan of Earl Mayan's illustrations, I know he would really appreciate an email from you. He is in frail health these days, but checks his email regularly. (I am his daughter.)
His email address is emayan@suffolk.lib.ny.us.
Posted by: Susan Klavir at October 7, 2003 09:59 PM
