Category Archives: Art

The Smashing Covers Of Smashing Detective Stories

Posted on by Dazzling Erin

Smashing Detective Stories was a pulp detective magazine that ran from 1951 to 1956.  It featured the the usual crime-smashing stories of detectives and criminals but what was really smashing about Smashing Detective Stories were the covers.  The covers were about as pulpy as you can get!

Below is a sampling of the covers of Smashing Detective Stories.  For all but one of them, the artist is unknown.  The cover for the September, 1954 issue has been attributed to Norman Saunders and it would not surprise me if he was responsible for at least some of the others as well.

March, 1951

June, 1951

December, 1951

September, 1952

March, 1953

June, 1953

1954, March

September, 1954, by Norman Saunders

December, 1954

November, 1955

January, 1956

May, 1956

July, 1956

The Pin-Up Art of Billy DeVorss

Posted on by Dazzling Erin

A native of Missouri, Billy DeVorss was a pin-up artist who was prominent in the 40s and the 50s.  He was a self-taught artist and, for the most part, his wife served as the model for his illustrations.  His pin-ups were known for their carefree nature.  His models often seemed to have not a worry in the world.  As opposed to other pin-up artists who went for sultry sexiness, DeVorss’s pin-ups were innocently flirtatious.

Here’s a small sampling of his work: