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SMB Noir

For the Fans of Hardboiled, Pulp & Gumshoe Art

Back in 2013, our tumblr site was started and ran until 2018, when they decided it was too "adult" - too lurid, supposedly. We followed the exodus to newtumbl and four years of dedication vanished in June of 2023. That work was not only new posts but upgrades of hundreds of old tumblr posts as well. So far, there has been no way to rescue those posts, so this will be the third version of this project. And, I'll warn you in advance, I may slip in covers that are not crime or mystery but just because I like the artwork. Enjoy!

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For altered posts, choose the category "Updated"

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All rights to this ongoing project are reserved by the owner.

Category: spicy

cover art by Harry Barton

Lita, paperback book cover, 1959
gouache on board, 20 x 16 in.
Signed lower left

Posted on February 14, 2024December 30, 2023Categories finest kind, original art, paperback, pulp, spicyTags beacon paperback, dame, femme fatale, finest kind, harry barton, original art, saucyLeave a comment on cover art by Harry Barton

September 1933 issue ~ cover art by Margaret Brundage

September 1933

cover art by Margaret Brundage

Posted on February 14, 2024December 18, 2023Categories fantasy, magazine, mystery, pulp, spicy, weird fictionTags margaret brundage, robert e. howard, saucy, weird tales magazine, whipLeave a comment on September 1933 issue ~ cover art by Margaret Brundage

cover art by Rudy Nappi

oil on illustration board, 12″ x 16″

1950 Quarter Books digest

Posted on February 13, 2024March 4, 2024Categories digest, Hardboiled, original art, pulp, spicyTags hooker, lurid, original art, peggy gaddis, quarter books digest, rudy nappi, sleazeLeave a comment on cover art by Rudy Nappi

March 1948 issue ~ cover art by George Gross

oil on canvas, 15 1/4″ x 20 1/4″

Posted on February 13, 2024December 31, 2023Categories finest kind, Hardboiled, magazine, original art, pulp, spicy, true crimeTags dame, femme fatale, finest kind, george gross, original art, woman with a gun, women in crimeLeave a comment on March 1948 issue ~ cover art by George Gross

cover art by Victor Olson

oil on illustration board, 13″x 19.5″

Posted on February 11, 2024December 31, 2023Categories original art, paperback, pulp, spicy, true crimeTags hooker, mirror, original art, pyramid paperback, ruth sachs, victor olsonLeave a comment on cover art by Victor Olson

January 1938 issue ~ cover art by H.J. Ward

January 1938

cover art by H.J. Ward

better image than previously posted

[cover updated 11/20/25]

Posted on February 8, 2024November 20, 2025Categories crime fiction, Hardboiled, magazine, mystery, pulp, spicy, updatedTags bound, fiend, h.j. ward, hanged, justin case, lingerie, pulp art, spicy mystery stories, torture, whipLeave a comment on January 1938 issue ~ cover art by H.J. Ward

August 1937 issue ~ cover art by William F. Soare

August 1937

cover art by William F. Soare

Posted on February 7, 2024April 5, 2024Categories action fiction, Hardboiled, magazine, pulp, spicy, western fictionTags bound, branding, garter, pulp art, spicy western stories, stewart gates, stockings, thug, william f. soareLeave a comment on August 1937 issue ~ cover art by William F. Soare

cover art by Howell Dodd

1951

Oil on board, 16 × 11-3/4 inches

cover art for No Time For Sleep by Amos Hatter (Venus, 1951).

Posted on February 5, 2024December 29, 2023Categories crime fiction, Hardboiled, original art, paperback, pulp, spicyTags amos hatter, dame, femme fatale, hitchhiking, howell dodd, original art, smoking, venus paperbackLeave a comment on cover art by Howell Dodd

January 1941 issue ~ cover art by H.J. Ward

January 1941

cover art by H.J. Ward

Posted on February 5, 2024December 21, 2023Categories action fiction, adventure, Hardboiled, magazine, pulp, spicyTags h.j. ward, lew merrill, south seas, spicy adventure stories magazineLeave a comment on January 1941 issue ~ cover art by H.J. Ward

August 1942 issue ~ cover art by H.J. Ward

August 1942

cover art by H.J. Ward

better image than previously posted

Posted on February 4, 2024December 17, 2023Categories action fiction, adventure, finest kind, Hardboiled, magazine, mystery, pulp, spicyTags cat fight, h.j. ward, lew merrill, south seas, spicy-adventure storiesLeave a comment on August 1942 issue ~ cover art by H.J. Ward

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