The picture on the right is a cover illustrated by Russell Haviland Tandy, the principal illustrator for the Nancy Drew series. The cover on the left, however is by another artist.
Some collectors have suggested that the Judy Bolton illustrator, Pelagie Doane, might have illustrated Broken Locket. Below are some samples of Doane's work for comparison.
There is certainly a similarity in style. However, Pelagie Doane did not illustrate any other Stratemeyer Syndicate books so this would be quite an anomoly. Also, since she was a reasonably well-known artist, her signature appears prominently in the illustrations themselves and usually on the title page of the books she worked on. Some people would say that the art for Broken Locket was too low of quality for Doane.
An artist who had a very short career working on Stratemeyer Syndicate books was Norman Braley. Two books he illustrated at the same time frame as Broken Locket were:
Oddly, sometimes the illustrator of these books is listed as Margaret Temple Braley, the name of an illustrator of at least three books published in the 1930s and early 1940s:
Preston, Helen Bradley. Blue Nests and Red Sails. (Longmans, Green, 1936). 38p.
Preston, Helen Bradley. Cinnamon Spice. (Grosset & Dunlap, 1939). 40p.
Youlin, Frances Cole. The Wooloo and Lita May. (Cupples & Leon, 1942). 70p.
While it is possible that Norman and Margaret Temple Braley are married, it is probably the identical last name which has caused the confusion. Margaret Temple Braley is listed as the illustrator for a Bobbsey Twins book in this time period:
Hope, Laura Lee. The Bobbsey Twins on an Airplane Trip. (Grosset & Dunlap, 1933).
Of course, Grosset & Dunlap could have made a mistake in attributing the two Outdoor Girls volumes to "Norman Braley."
Whether Norman or Margaret, the illustrator of the DJ art for Broken Locket is most likely Braley.
Click here to see a discussion of this issue which appeared on the usenet group, alt.books.nancy-drew.
Compiled by James D. Keeline using artwork from Applewood editions and by users participating in the alt.books.nancy-drew discussion.
