Messages from Crom

 
The Art of Robert E. Howard: Harold S. De Lay
 By Bill Thom

This is the fourth in a series of articles that provides a showcase for the many fine artists that have illustrated the works of Robert E. Howard over the years.

Previously posted are:
The Art of Robert E. Howard: Peter Andrew Jones
The Art of Robert E. Howard: Virgil Finlay
The Art of Robert E. Howard: Michael William Kaluta
 
Harold S. De Lay
 
Harold De Lay (AKA H. S. Delay, Harold DeLay, Harold S. DeLay) was born in South Charleston, Ohio on May 13, 1876. De Lay settled in Winnetka, Illinois, early in the twentieth century and appears to have lived there for several decades with his wife, Austria, and their children. He left his family in the early 1930s and moved to Astoria, Queens, New York where he lived and worked until he died on August 14, 1950.
 
De Lay attended the Art Institute of Chicago with J.C. Leyendecker among others. By the early 1900s, he had started on a career as a fine artist and a commercial artist, initially illustrating books and magazine covers. A few early credits include illustrations for TECHNICAL WORLD MAGAZINE, 10 STORY BOOK (pulp magazine), THE SHORT-STOP (1914) by Zane Grey and DAUGHTERS OF DESTINY (1906) by Schuyler Staunton (a pseudonym for L. Frank Baum). De Lay also created several illustrations for Elgin Watches in the 1920s.
 
In later years, De Lay moved to advertising and comics while continuing to do magazine work including pulp magazines. He was the primary artist for the pulp GOLDEN FLEECE in the late 1930s, providing covers and interior illustrations. He produced four cover illustrations for WEIRD TALES between 1939 and 1944, along with black and white interior art for 13 issues. De Lay illustrated stories by Robert E. Howard, Edmond Hamilton, G. G. Pendarves, Robert Bloch, Otis Adelbert Kline and E. Hoffmann Price, Jack Williamson, August Derleth, Seabury Quinn, Henry Kuttner, and others.
 
De Lay’s first pulp interior illustration was for "Black Canaan" (WEIRD TALES, June 1936) by Robert E. Howard. He went on to illustrate two additional REH stories in WEIRD TALES: “Red Nails” (WEIRD TALES, July, August-September, October 1936) and “Black Hound of Death” (WEIRD TALES, November 1936). In GOLDEN FLEECE he provided numerous illustrations for two stories by REH: "Black Vulmea's Vengeance" (November 1938) and "Gates of Empire" (January 1939).
 
De Lay wrote, pencilled, and inked comic book covers and stories from 1940 to 1946 while working for Lev Gleason, Centaur Publications, and Novelty Press. De Lay did the art for a comic adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson's TREASURE ISLAND, James Fenimore Cooper’s THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS, and Jonathan Swift’s GULLIVER'S TRAVELS. He also did some work for Marvel Comics when the company was still known as Timely Comics. He illustrated Microman in THE HUMAN TORCH #2 (1940) and Sub-Earth Man in MYSTIC COMICS #5 (1941).

Harold DeLay/Robert E. Howard Checklist (Initial appearances only)
 
Weird Tales
Volume 27 Number 6 (June 1936) 

“Black Canaan”

Volume 28 Numbers 1, 2, and 3 (July, August-September, October 1936)
“Red Nails”

Volume 28 Number 4 (November 1936)
“Black Hound of Death”

Golden Fleece
Volume 1 Number 2 (November 1938)
"Black Vulmea's Vengeance"
 
Volume 2 Number 1 (January 1939)
"Gates of Empire"
 
References:
The Collector’s Index to WEIRD TALES By Sheldon Jaffrey & Fred Cook

Tellers of Weird Tales (February 8, 2012) by Terence E. Hanley

Internet Speculative Fiction Database

Pulpcovers.com

 

All art copyright Harold De Lay and the respective owners.

Weird Tales Volume 27 Number 6 (June 1936) 

“Black Canaan”

 Weird Tales Volume 28 Numbers 1, 2, and 3 (July, August-September, October 1936)

“Red Nails”

Weird Tales Volume 28 Number 4 (November 1936)
“Black Hound of Death”

Golden Fleece Volume 1 Number 2 (November 1938)
"Black Vulmea's Vengeance"

 

The image below is a preliminary of the opening double-page spread for Robert E. Howard's "Black Vulmea's Vengeance," which appeared in the November 1938 issue of GOLDEN FLEECE. It is from the collection of pulp art collector Doug Ellis.

Golden Fleece Volume 2 Number 1 (January 1939)
"Gates of Empire"