Above, six lovely covers from the French illustrator who signed his work Desmé, and about whom nothing is known today, except that he painted this poster for the 1938 World Cup. That’s the main reason we think he’s a he—the soccer poster. But Desmé could be a she. Either way, the person is a total mystery. As for the authors, who aren’t credited on the covers, these were written for Editions de la Gazelle during the middle to late 40s by Jean Remy (Raymond Marlot), Jean-Jacques Cieux, Pierre Mariel (Pierre-Maurice Marie), Henriette Caton (Henriette Caillaux), Claude Gérard, and Suzanne Mercey. Maybe we’ll find more on Desmé one day. You never know.
Update: We’re writing in 2021 now, and we think this artist is D.H. Desmé.