Fly-by-night: Harlequin Artists Part XXII

Thursday 15 March 2012

Harlequin Artists Part XXII - Friede (1)

Regretfully artists of some of the most famous early Harlequin covers remain anonymous. Until recently I included the artist for A.E. van Vogt's The House that Stood Still. However another look at the two copies I have revealed the signature of an artist named Friede. Like a few other one-name-only Harlequin artists I know nothing about him. He is not listed in the Index of Canadian Illustrators and Toronto City Directories.

So far I have found his signature on 13 Harlequins published over a nine month period. He signed vertically along the bottom left hand of the covers in a light pen so sometimes difficult to pick out. But all, excepting The House that Stood Still, are legible. Part of the signature on that book has been cut off, to different degrees, on the copies I have. Also the backgound colour is dark with a slightly lighter signature that hasn't reproduced well. But a comparison of the very faint letters (EDE are just visible) with his signature on other books plus the style of art leaves no doubt that the art is by Friede.