Borrowed heart, borrowed art

Posted on July 16, 2025 by Harley R

American romance comics are notorious for their eye-catching illustrated covers and their shoddy, dashed-off interior artworks. So I was surprised to discover that the drawing inside this tattered 1956 issue of Girls’ Romances is just as good as that on the cover. In fact the cover art was lifted from one of the stories inside, as you can see below.

According to the little sticker on the plastic sleeve that’s preventing this litte treasure from disintegrating altogether, the stories were drawn by Tony Abruzzo, John Romata Sr, Mike Sekowsky and Barnard Sachs. Just check out the striking faces of the women, as well as the way every element has been made to look delightful and attractive – the clothes, the streets, the interior decor, and the symbolic objects such as the heart-shaped necklace on the cover and the rose in the first photo below.

Girls’ Romances may depict a high-stakes and melodramatic world of overwhelming emotions, love rivalry and life-changing decisions, but you can see why young women might want to navigate all that and build a life there.

Click the photos and hunt for the links to the full-sized versions to see them in supersized Ben Day dot glory.

Friends of the Pope

Posted on July 15, 2025 by Harley R

We don’t detect many of the traditional symbols of Catholicism in this new scan from a very old sketchbook, but it’s clearly a celebration of music, dance and fashion of some kind. Click to see a larger version.

Summer is a going out

Posted on July 11, 2025 by Harley R

…but what to wear? Some options are considered in this colourised excerpt from a HoH sketchbook. Click to enlarge.

For more drawings of fashionable folks and naked bodies, see our art booklets Flying Away 1, Hands Up 1, Go Figure 1 and Go Figure 2.

Perfection in a book

Posted on July 9, 2025 by Harley R

Perfection by Vincenzo Latronico: I’m impressed at how much well-observed detail the author packed into this short study of a modern cosmopolitan couple who discover that, yes, life isn’t what they hoped for.

The couple here is the character. I don’t think we ever learn their names and they’re described as if they’re a unit with mostly shared thought processes. With no dialogue and hardly any events, this book is quite the formal achievement.

Dwellers of the Deep 2

Posted on July 7, 2025 by Harley R

From the sketchbooks of the House of Harley, the second in a series of limited edition art booklets featuring drawings of London Underground commuters.