Virgil Finlay 1936 Telepathy/Mind-Wave Pulp Illustration – Two Figures
Executed in stark black and white pen-and-ink, the monochromatic palette intensifies the eerie psychological tension as concentric radio-wave arcs — suggesting telepathic transmission or hypnotic mental energy — radiate outward from between two figures. A menacing, heavy-browed bald man clutches something in his hands and leans toward a passive, dark-haired woman, her expression distant and entranced. The stippled crosshatching characteristic of Virgil Finlay renders flesh with photographic depth, amplifying the sinister mad-science mood.
Classic Finlay menace — a leering bald man projecting mental waves at a helpless woman is peak pulp psychodrama. The stippling work alone is worth framing, but the subject matter is gloriously lurid.
“Virgil 36”
