Whimsy is an interesting thing.
Usually, we think of whimsicality in terms of the play of words and sentences.
But, the visual arts can be whimsical as well.
Case in point, the work of Edmund Emshwiller (or, “EMSH”, for short). An artist whose extraordinarily prolific output was only exceeded by his sense of imagination and creativity, Emsh’s oeuvre primarily comprised cover art for softcover books and pulp magazines, as well as – perhaps more abundantly – black and white interior illustrations. His cover paintings for both literary formats are characterized by boldness and variety of color, an almost camera-like, stop-motion “capture” and portrayal of action (whether of individual men and women, machines, or both), and, an almost physicalized and detailed crispness and clarity to alien worlds and imagined future technology, the latter particularly in terms of the interiors of spacecraft, as well as spacesuits, weapons, and related equipment.
But on occasion, his art took a different (or latent?!) turn: It could be humorously insightful, as shown on the cover of the January, 1955 issue of Galaxy Science Fiction.
Or, it could playful, as seen in cover of the June, 1962 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. Here, while the taken-for-granted scenario of an astronaut floating in the void of intergalactic space might conventionally focus on the rather – um, er, ah – challenging (?!) aspects of this predicament most dire, Emsh – presumably inspired by illustrations of spacesuits prevalent at the time, particularly Randall F. White and George J. Scott’s 1961 design for a full pressure flight suit (below), from Patent Room.com – takes a different turn.
Our hero George (or, is he an anti-hero!?) is equipped with an air tank decorated with the phrase “GEORGE’S ELIXIR – GUARANTEED MONEY BACK IF NOT COMPLETELY SATISFIED.”
On his arm, where a tattoo would be: “MOTHER”
Oh his torso, where a tattoo could be: an octopus, a pair of dice, and the shield from the Great Seal of the United States.
On his thigh, where a tattoo might be: a nude image of “ROSIE”, and, the head of a bald eagle.
On his calf, where a tattoo almost certainly is: “HOME SWEET HOME”.
Alas. This is a stand-alone illustration: While the table of contents lists the artist as “Ed Emsh”, no title attached to the painting, and the painting pertains to no story.
Perhaps George’s story is ours to imagine.