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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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Tag: harry barton

cover art by Harry Barton

Women in Green Dress
Gouache on board, 18 x 14 inches (45.7 x 35.6 cm)
Signed lower right

Posted on April 19, 2024April 14, 2024Categories original art, pulp, spicyTags dame, femme fatale, harry barton, original art, pulp artLeave a comment on cover art by Harry Barton

cover art by Harry Barton


gouache on board, 20 x 15 in. (image)
Signed lower right

The Quaking Widow by Robert Colby, Ace Double paperback, 1956.

Posted on April 1, 2024January 18, 2024Categories crime fiction, Hardboiled, original art, paperbackTags ace double paperback, dame, femme fatale, harry barton, original art, robert colby, treasure, woman with a gunLeave a comment on cover art by Harry Barton

cover art by Harry Barton

gouache on board, 21 x 13 in. (image)
Signed lower right

Hell Cat by Dorine Clark, Beacon, 1959

[image updated 1/5/25]

Posted on March 30, 2024January 5, 2025Categories Hardboiled, original art, paperback, pulp, updatedTags dorine clark, harry barton, lurid, original art, sleazeLeave a comment on cover art by Harry Barton

cover art by Harry Barton

Fear No More
Gouache and pastel on board, 15.5 x 11.5 in. (sight)
Signed lower right

Posted on March 24, 2024January 2, 2024Categories crime fiction, original art, paperbackTags ace double paperback, harry barton, leslie edgley, original art, thrillerLeave a comment on cover art by Harry Barton

cover art by Harry Barton

Gouache, watercolor, and pencil on paper laid on board, 20 x 13 in. (sight)
Signed lower right

This illustration was published as the cover for Manhandled by Whitman Chambers, Monarch #434, 1964.

Posted on March 17, 2024January 2, 2024Categories Hardboiled, original art, paperback, pulp, spicyTags dame, harry barton, monarch paperback, whitman chambersLeave a comment on cover art by Harry Barton

cover art by Harry Barton

1955 Ace paperback original

better image than previously posted

Posted on March 6, 2024January 2, 2024Categories crime fiction, finest kind, Hardboiled, paperbackTags ace double paperback, dame, finest kind, harry barton, kidnap, porthole, sterling noel, tommygunLeave a comment on cover art by Harry Barton

cover art by Harry Barton


Oil on board, 20-1/2 x 14 inches
(52.1 x 35.6 cm) (sight)
Signed lower left

The Deadly Combo by John Farr (Ace, 1958)

Posted on March 3, 2024February 23, 2024Categories crime fiction, Hardboiled, original art, paperbackTags ace double paperback, blackmail, harry barton, john farr, original art, showgirlLeave a comment on cover art by Harry Barton

cover art by Harry Barton

tempera on board, 17 x 11.5 in. (sight)
Signed lower right


Decoy by Michael Morgan, Ace Double paperback original, 1953.

joint pseudonym of C.E. Carle and Dean M. Dorn


Posted on February 24, 2024February 23, 2024Categories mystery, original art, paperbackTags ace double paperback, harry barton, michael morgan, original artLeave a comment on cover art by Harry Barton

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

cover art by Harry Barton

Mambo to Murder, paperback cover, 1955
oil on board, 23.75 x 17 in. (sight)
Not signed

Posted on February 10, 2024December 30, 2023Categories crime fiction, Hardboiled, original art, paperback, pulpTags ace double paperback, dale clark, dame, femme fatale, harry barton, oil on board, original artLeave a comment on cover art by Harry Barton

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