Do you need some help getting the mood for the 4th of July? I don’t blame you if you do. 2020 hasn’t been an easy year so far. But I’m not ready to give up on the promise of America, not by a long shot. Here to help us all get in the mood for the 4th is a collection of vintage posters from World War II!
Category Archives: Art
Artwork of the Day: Hanging On

by Erin Nicole
Artist Profile: William Jacobson (1921 — 1992)
While I was searching for information about the artist William Jacobson, I came across 1992 Chicago Tribune obituary for an artist named William “Babe” Jacobson. According to the obituary (and assuming that the William Jacobson who did the covers below is the same Jacobson who was written about in the Tribune), William Jacobson studied at at the Art Institute of Chicago, the American Academy of Art and the Chicago Academy of Fine Art. After serving in World War II, Jacobson became an artist with the Stevens-Gross Studios before, in 1960, opening up a studio of his own, William Jacobson Illustration.
I could find much more information about Jacobson so, as often happens with the artists of the pulp era, his work will have to speak for him. Here’s a sampling of it:
Artwork of the Day: The Stranger (by Bernard Barton)

by Bernard Barton
Artwork of the Day: Film Fun (by Enoch Bolles)

by Enoch Bolles
Artwork of the Day: Cancel All Our Vows (by Jerry Allison)

by Jerry Allison
Artwork of the Day: Westering (by Jerry Allison)

by Jerry Allison
Artwork of the Day: True Gang Life (by Wynne W. Davies)

by Wynne W. Davies
Artwork of the Day: Big Eli (by James E. McConnell)

by James E. McConnell
The Covers of Famous Detective Cases
Famous Detective Cases was a true crime magazine that was published from March of 1935 to October of 1936. Like most crime magazines of the era, it featured stories about unsolved crimes, gangsters, murder, and public scandal. Unlike the more flamboyant style that was favored by other true crime magazines of the era, the covers of Famous Detective Cases tended to take almost an expressionist approach to its subject matter.
Below are the covers of Famous Detective Cases. I don’t know the identity of any of the artists who worked on these covers but if I find out, this post will be updated.
(My two personal favorites are the shadowy covers for June and December.)



































