“The problem that confronts us today, and which the nearest future is to solve, is how to be one’s self and yet in oneness with others, to feel deeply with all human beings and still retain one’s own characteristic qualities.” – Emma Goldman, “The Tragedy of Woman’s Emancipation”, Anarchism and Other Essays
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!!
“Even now, music’s always been the thing that keeps me going. And as an artist, I think the most significant accomplishment, or feeling, is realizing something you’ve created from a fragile and intimate place has reached out, resonated and affected someone else, possibly changing how they see the world.”
This youtube couple literally cancelled the adoption of a child from Thailand when they found out there was a law prohibiting them from filming said child on any social medias
This blog is mostly so I can vent my feelings and share my interests. Other than that, I am nothing special.
If you don't like Left Wing political thought and philosophy, all things related to horror, the supernatural, the grotesque, guns or the strange, then get the fuck out. I just warned you.
