Joseph Franke - "When Worlds Collide" science fiction pulp illustration

Joseph Franke was an illustrator in the 1920's and early 1930's. Among his magazine work, he did work for pulps such as Blue Book, as well as slicks. He was an influence on folks such as Roy Krenkel and Al Williamson. Sadly, he died of pneumonia in December 1933 at the age of 40.

Although he was relatively prolific during his career, his originals seem to be scarce. I was happy to acquire this one last year in a trade with a fellow collector. It illustrates one of the installments of the classic novel, "When Worlds Collide" by Philip Wylie and Edwin Balmer. This installment appeared in the February 1933 issue of Blue Book. The prior owner didn't care for the white space, so he had the text from the pulp reproduced and laid on to the illustration.