Gallery: Women of Mystery

Whether the women in these 1950s-era illustrations are solving crimes or committing them, you can be sure there’s plenty of intrigue afoot!acorn_dvd_300

Which mystery-themed illustration do you like more? Let us know by responding with one of the designated emojis on our Facebook post! You’ll be entered into a random drawing for a chance to win a DVD set of Acorn TV‘s Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None.

In And Then There Were None, Ten strangers meet in a solitary mansion on a remote island near the Devon coast. Awaiting the arrival of their hosts, they start to die, one by one. Based on the best-selling book by Agatha Christie, this lavish adaptation features an all-star cast including Aidan Turner (Poldark), Charles Dance (Game of Thrones), Toby Stephens (Vexed), Anna Maxwell Smith (The Bletchley Circle), Miranda Richardson (The Hours), and Sam Neill (Peaky Blinders). Seen on Lifetime.

Deadline to vote is January 23. See Official Rules.

Image
“The police car’s searchlight found them framed against the fence like spiders on a wall. ‘All right, Slattery,’ the cop yelled, ‘break it up!’”
The Outcasts
Peter Stevens
September 29, 1956

Image
“Keep your hand away from that phone, soldier,” someone said.
Furlough in Flatbush
Frederic Varady
August 19, 1944

Image
“The voice on the radio was saying, ‘And there are some whose secret is not innocent, but who must wear their masks until they die. I call them The Unsuspected.'”
The Unsuspected
Austin Briggs
August 11, 1945

Image
“Cochran walked up to the man with the dinky mustache and hit him hard. McReynolds took care of the woman.”
Sentence of Death
Ken Riley
October 23, 1948

Image
“Onalee, that’s murder! You’ve killed him!”
Easy to Murder
James R. Bingham
January 6, 1951

Image
“‘If this shirt will solve your problem,’ he said, ‘you’re welcome to it.'”
Girls Are Where You Find Them
George Englert
January 17, 1953

Image
“Paula picked up the shining object. It was Brad’s watch, and the hands said four minutes past nine.”
Death in the Wind
Bernard D’Andrea
November 5, 1955

Image
“Jack turned anxiously as he heard Moto’s footsteps behind him.”
Rendezvous in Tokyo
William A. Smith
December 15, 1956

Image
“Fitzpatrick and his daughter, Rose Margaret, joined the other passengers as they filed out to board Flight 903.”
Murder on Order
Perry Peterson
March 9, 1957

Image
“Now Columbine discovered why the suitcase had seemed so heavy. It contained a 32-caliber pistol, a burglar’s kit, and a bag of glittering stones.”
The Artless Heiress
Robert Meyers
June 1, 1957

Image
“‘Now shut up,’ Kairos shouted. ‘Or do I have to close your mouth for you?'”
Gem Thief
November 29, 1958

Image
“‘That’s it, sister!’ the man said. ‘I’m closing up this joint.’ And in came a task force of policemen.”
It All Happened to Me
Austin Briggs
July 1, 1950

Image
“Darling!” a voice called through the door. “Are you there?” It was a tense moment.
Feminine Reflex
George Englert
September 3, 1949

Classic Covers: Special Delivery!

Delivery truck, bus stop, or even boat, Post covers have shown us how to get our holiday shopping home. Sometimes with difficulty.

One hundred years ago this very month, scurrying home with his purchases is the gentleman in J.C. Leyendecker’s December 4, 1909 cover. How he manages to carry even a rocking horse at such a rapid clip is one of the mysteries of the season.

Another rocking horse shows up on artist James R. Bingham’s inviting 1945 cover. It is a rather clumsily wrapped gift—but how does one wrap a horse? As the editors noted, “Santa himself could not make a rocking horse look like anything else.”

A rural post office on artist Stevan Dohanos’ December 1947 cover is about to get some business from the man bearing parcels while the dog and the cow wait in the truck. (We’re told the cow was one of the most cooperative models the artist had in a long time.)

Waiting for a bus laden with purchases is a hard way to get gifts where they need to go! Dohanos’ 1952 cover shows a crowd waiting, some rather impatiently, for that ride. Too bad we can’t see the next scene, where the man jiggles the sled through the bus door, and the older lady surprises the bus driver by hauling a tree aboard. And … is that a goose?

Our most unusual Christmas delivery must be on Mead Schaeffer’s December 1946 cover. Rowing the gift-laden boat to the lighthouse in the chill winter must be a challenge. The picturesque lighthouse existed in real life (and still does) in the Hudson River between Athens and Hudson. A man named Edward Bremmer tended the light and is shown rowing the boat. The editors suggested he might be startled when he gets to the lighthouse. In depicting the Bremmer family, the artist decided to add three additional children. Surprise!

To order your favorite holiday cover and browse the entire collection, visit saturdayeveningpostcovers.com.