page_title: Norman Saunders
section_title: Pulp paintings
hierarchical_section_title: Norman Saunders / Biography / Pulp paintings
caption_attribution_description: English: Cover of the April-May 1939 issue of Marvel Science Stories. Art is by Norman Saunders. From the Table of Contents: "This Month's Cover: Norman Saunders, inimitable science-fiction cover artist, gives his conception of a beauty parlor of the future— A Mechanical Fountain of Touth." There's also a column by Eando Binder discussing it, entitled "A Mechanical Fountain of Youth". A short sample: "Let us assume it is some future year, and whatever age you are now, you are in need of rejuvenation by then. You enter the Youth Emporium, pay the fee (in accordance with your pocketbook, perhaps) and the Operator questions you. How long do you want to feel—about twenty-one? How handsome do you want to look—like the current matinee idol? And the best of health, of course?" Colours have been adjusted against the original (this is far more accurate than the original scan), the long crease/tears removed, and general cleanup. The "TOM" of Tomorrow at the top had to be partially reconstructed due to particular damage to that section. Some stamps of a foolish bookseller were removed.
context_page_description: Norman Blaine Saunders was a prolific 20th-century American commercial artist. He is best known for paintings in pulp magazines, paperbacks, men's adventure magazines, comic books and trading cards. On occasion, Saunders signed his work with his middle name, Blaine.
context_section_description: He left Fawcett to become a freelance pulp artist, moved to New York City and studied under Harvey Dunn at the Grand Central School of Art. He painted for all the major publishers and was known for his fast-action scenes, his beautiful women and his ability to meet a deadline. He worked in almost any genre—Westerns, weird menace, detective, sports and the saucy pulps (sometimes signed as "Blaine"). He was able to paint very quickly, producing 100 paintings a year—two a week from 1935 through 1942—and thus lived well during the Depression era.
  During World War II, Saunders served with the Military Police overseeing German prisoners. Transferred to the Army Corps of Engineers, he supervised the construction of a gas pipeline following the Burma Road. During his off hours, he painted watercolors of Burmese temples.
caption: Norman Saunders' cover for Marvel Science Stories April–May 1939.
exif: {}