Where to Buy Romance Cover Art

Recently, Ashley asked in the comments for podcast Episode 606, Behind the Scenes of Classic Cover Art: Shirley Green and Sharon Spiak:

“whaaaat how did you get that for your wall? Where can I get rad oldschool cover art?”

Ashley has inspired me to collect a few places from which Old Skool Cover Art can be yours!

I’ve been fascinated with romance cover art since the beginning, and have done a lot of research, interviews, and general nosy-nebby writing about it.

In 2013, I interviewed cover artist Joe DiCesare, who painted Jennifer Greene’s Night of the Hunter. This interview was one of the first I did where I realized how much WORK went into painting old cover art:

I always used professional models and a photographer to shoot my reference. I used Michel Legrou, owner of Media Photo Group, and he is one of the best photographers for romance! After shooting the models in the photo studio, I edited all the photos down to a final pose that fit the story.

Using the photographs, I created a black and white pencil sketch with lots of detail to show the layout, design, and pose of the purposed cover. After the sketch was approved by the Art Director, I had the sketch photographed, and the reference slides printed out to full color prints. I transferred my approved sketch to the final canvas, and sometimes did an under-painting in a warm monotone to start my painting.

Finally, I was ready to start painting the final artwork, usually taking about a week to complete the final oil painting. I can remember carrying many wet paintings on the crowded subways of New York as I was delivering the art to the client!

I have NEVER forgotten the image of a cover artist carrying a wet painting onto the subway!

I’ve also interviewed art directors about typeface choices, and went to the Covering Romance gallery exhibit in February 2024 for John Ennis’ collection:

A series of six oil paintings by John ennis in various shades of blue, featuring women in various stages of undress from gowns of yellow, green and gold, with oceans and giant flowers behind them. The overall effect is a lush and glowing blue collection

This is clearly a field of pop art I’m endlessly nosy about. So let’s talk where to get some!

I’ll start with John Ennis: all the art at the gallery exhibit was for sale. Most of the larger pieces were in the $400-500 range, with smaller pieces available at $75 and $150.

You can follow Mr. Ennis on Instagram @JohnEnnisRomanceCovers and use the contact form at John-Ennis.com to enquire about specific pieces, like this one:

The cover art for Passion's Sweet Revenge featuring a brown haired white woman in a purple gown with her hands on her hips looking frustrated and the main couple are in a snowbank by a river with giant snowflakes falling and the blonde heroine is wearing a coral gown (in the RIVER GIRL get OUT you'll get hypothermia) whiel being embraced by a man with dark hair and a white shirt and waistcoat

Steve Ammidown visited us to share his journeys through eBay romance memorabilia, and eBay is indeed a place to find some old cover art.

I typically search for “romance novel cover painting,” with ‘painting’ being a key piece of that search. Otherwise you get covers of books made into other things, or just copies of books with the original ‘cover art.’

This one is listed at $699.99 and is from a book called Sunny Says by Jan Hudson:

An oil painting by Hal Frenck of a white man in a tan vest and pink shirt embracing a woman with short blonde hair sitting on the edge of a pier with gazebo in the background with sea gulls her hair is short and blonde and she's wearing a short sheleves mini skirt suit?

This one is by artist George A. Bush and is $775, and I have questions about how the model achieved such incredible flexibility.

A white couple is about to go to bonetown in a flowery field. the woman is blonde wearing a hello dress and is being embraced by a white guy iwth a dark mullet and a VERY voluminous shirt while he munches on her collarbone and she arches her back

Do other people’s backs do that?

That cover is from Shameless Ecstasy by Thea Devine.

But now that we have a memorable artist’s name: searches for George A. Bush reveal a few more covers on eBay! Like this one!

A painting of a white man with a big mustache in a velvet doublet embracing awoman in a teal gown with a castle in the background.

This painting is $724, and is from Passage to Pontefract by Jean Plaidy, aka Victoria Holt.

Some listings on eBay come with a copy of the book, such as this one for Mr. Jeffries and the Jilt, A Regency romance by Joy Reed:

A painting of a white man and woman in Regency garb having wine and cheese outside on a cliffside. He is wearing boots, camel trousers, a jacket and a cravat whie she has a big brimmed hat with a green ribbon and a white dress. She's smiling and looking down and away from him

That listing is $149.

Among the prominent artists that painted romance novel covers: John Ennis, who I’ve already mentioned, Sharon Spiak, Pino Daeni, Elaine Duillo, James Griffin, or Victor Gadino. The one I have on my office wall is by Sandro.

Finally, Sharon Spiak, the artist I interviewed alongside photographer Shirley Green in Episode 606, is also offering some of her original paintings for sale as well as prints!

The prints range in price from $30-$34, while the original paintings range from $2000-7000.

The oil painting by Sharon Spiak for The Hawk and the Dove featuring fabio reclining in the ocean? surrounded by roses? and a pigeon? He's holding onto his sword Very Suggestively, while a woman with gian red hair and a giant pink dress looms over him. Growing out of her hair is a pirate ship.

This is the original art for The Hawk and the Dove by Virginia Henley:

The cover for the hawk and the dove with the illustration from the painting with the title and author over his groin and above her hair

Is it wrong that:

I’m disappointed that the cover text disguises how Very Suggestively he is holding onto his own sword?
I remember that one nipple more than I remember the cover overall?

And this, another original, is going to be the start of a lot of lesbian historical heist fiction, I bet!

The art for Distant Choices features a white blonde woman with curls and a yellow gown seated while a dark haired woman holds a tiny cup of tea while standing over her in a dark grey and black dress with a red shawl. There's a fierce siamese cat seated in the folds of the yellow gown

This is titled Distant Choices, though I’m not sure who the author might have been, and is $5000. (There is a book by Brenda Jagger called Distant Choices, which features two sisters, only one of whom is legitimate: “Katharine was dark, rebellious and unruly. Oriel was fair, poised and pleasant. But whereas Kate is legitimate, Oriel is not.” While I couldn’t find this art on the cover, it does fit.)

Ah, what a time in art and romance.

I can’t be the only one who loves looking at the original paintings, right? I love this so much. It’s a whole realm of pop art that seems to be disappearing.

Do you have a favorite piece of cover art? Have you bought or found an original? Would you want to have romance cover art hanging on your wall?

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