hevelincollection:Margaret Brundage, Queen of the Pulps The 1930′s were a time of censorship in Am

hevelincollection: Margaret Brundage, Queen of the Pulps The 1930′s were a time of censorship in America.  By 1934 the Motion Picture Production Code (aka Hays Code) was in full swing, and depictions of nude or scantily-clad human bodies were not readily available. Yet, for 25 cents, anyone could purchase a pulp magazine at the newsstand. How these bright, salacious covers must have resonated with people at the time is difficult for me to imagine. Even more scandalous, some of the most suggestive and lurid pulp covers were drawn by a woman. Margaret Brundage (née Margaret Johnson) was born in 1900 in Chicago.  She studied fashion design at the Art Institute of Chicago, and worked as a freelance fashion illustrator for various newspapers (The Alluring Art of Margaret Brundage, 16). She also worked at the Dil Pickle club, a bohemian speakeasy affiliated with the Wobblies.  In 1932 Brundage was looking for more work, and found herself at the office of Farnsworth Wright, then editor of Weird Tales. Brundage began working for Wright by doing a few covers for his side publication Oriental Tales.  Wright was so impressed with these that he hired Brundage to draw for Weird Tales, paying $90 a cover. Thus began a years-long business relationship, and a new era of increased fame and notoriety for the magazine. Pulp covers were notorious for their explicit content, and Brundage’s were no exception. The shock value of her work increased after the October 1934 issue, where Wright revealed that the controversial “M. Brundage” was a woman. Brundage became one of the primary cover artists for Weird Tales, once drawing covers for thirty-nine consecutive issues (June 1933-August 1936).  In total her reign at Weird Tales lasted for twelve years, from 1932-1945.   Despite her enormous contribution to pulp art, Brundage remains a somewhat mysterious figure. Fans of her work often wonder: were her scandalous and frequently exploitative covers simply a quick way to make a paycheck, or did she draw them because she liked drawing them? While the answer is likely a combination of both, it is interesting to think about the intersections between her femininity and her job as a pulp artist. Regardless of her motivations, it is remarkable that a woman in 1930’s America was able to produce and profit from such salacious art so publicly. Her raucous, bold nudes are a testament to both her skill and her willingness flout traditional mores.    The Hevelin Collection includes nearly every Weird Tales with a Brundage cover; these photos represent a few of my favorites.  Please enjoy this selection of work from an illustrator who truly earned the title “Queen of the Pulps”.   -Laura H.  In honor of her birthday, here’s a reblog of my post from a few years ago on pulp artist Margaret Brundage, “Queen of the Pulps”. Happy birthday, Margaret!!-Laura  -- source link

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