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

Tag: original art

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

October 1944 issue ~ cover art by Norman Saunders

October 1944

cover art by Norman Saunders

better image than previously posted

Posted on March 3, 2024February 23, 2024Categories crime fiction, Hardboiled, magazine, original art, pulpTags 10-story detective magazine, norman a. daniels, norman saunders, original art, tuxLeave a comment on October 1944 issue ~ cover art by Norman Saunders

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

oil on canvas, 21″ by 30″

far from romantic but typically great brushwork

Posted on February 29, 2024December 31, 2023Categories finest kind, Hardboiled, magazine, original art, pulp, western fictionTags e. hoffmann price, finest kind, h.j. ward, original art, romantic western magazine, woman with a gunLeave a comment on September 1938 issue ~ cover art by H.J. Ward

cover art by Howell Dodd

Stone Cold Wife, True Fact Crime magazine cover, June 1953
Oil on board, 17 x 14.125 in. (image)
Not signed

Posted on February 28, 2024August 8, 2025Categories finest kind, Hardboiled, magazine, original art, pulp, true crimeTags all true fact crime, all true fact crime cases, howell dodd, original art, true fact crime magazineLeave a comment on cover art by Howell Dodd

cover art by John Drew

Top of the Heap, Gang World, January 1934
Oil on canvas, 21.875 x 16 in.
Not signed

Posted on February 28, 2024April 5, 2024Categories crime fiction, gangster, Hardboiled, magazine, mystery, original art, pulpTags gang world magazine, john drew, oil on canvas, original art, raoul du priest, richard e. conan, thug, william h. stueberLeave a comment on cover art by John Drew

cover art by Fred Rodewald

sight size 9×12″

gouache on illustration board

Posted on February 27, 2024December 31, 2023Categories digest, Hardboiled, original art, pulpTags ecstasy novel magazine, fred rodewald, hooker, lurid, original art, perry lindsay, sleaze, stockingsLeave a comment on cover art by Fred Rodewald

May 1942 issue ~ cover art by Norman Saunders

May 1942

cover art by Norman Saunders

Posted on February 27, 2024February 23, 2024Categories crime fiction, Hardboiled, magazine, mystery, original art, pulpTags emile c. tepperman, lawrence treat, norman saunders, original art, ten detective aces magazineLeave a comment on May 1942 issue ~ cover art by Norman Saunders

cover art by Mort Engel

gouache on illustration board, 11″ by 17″

1963 Avon paperback original

Posted on February 27, 2024December 31, 2023Categories crime fiction, gangster, Hardboiled, original art, paperbackTags henry kane, hooker, mort engel, original art, peter chambers, private eye, showgirl, tommygunLeave a comment on cover art by Mort Engel

cover art by Stanley Borack

oil on board, 10 3/4″ x 13 1/4″

1952 Holt hardcover

1954 Dell paperback reissue

better image than previously posted

Posted on February 26, 2024December 31, 2023Categories crime fiction, Hardboiled, original art, paperback, pulpTags blair treynor, con man, dame, dell paperback, gambling fiction, one-armed bandit, original art, stanley borackLeave a comment on cover art by Stanley Borack

cover art by Cardwell Higgins

pastel on board, 25″x34″

July 1942 issue

Posted on February 25, 2024January 2, 2024Categories Hardboiled, magazine, original art, pulp, spicy, true crimeTags cardwell higgins, dagger, expose detective magazine, original art, telephoneLeave a comment on cover art by Cardwell Higgins

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