Florence Magarian

(August 31, 1912–May 1960)

Florence Lillian Magarian (née See), aka F. Magarian, was half the prominent husband-and-wife artist team who worked as “Magarian” in the 1940s, known for artwork and cartoons in Ziff-Davis pulp magazines, such as Fantastic Adventures and Amazing Stories.

Born in Spokane, Washington, Florence grew up in Los Angeles and studied at the Otis Art Institute there, where she met Albert Magarian. They married on May 25, 1937, in Los Angeles, then moved to Chicago and East Saint Louis, Illinois, during World War II. They worked together as interior artists for several prozines, later branching out into cartoons and comic books.

“Three Eyes in the Dark,” a sketch for a Don Wilcox story, was the first of their stippled black-and-white interior illos appearing from 1941 through 1948. Albert drew the outlines of each piece; Florence did finishing work and added details.

Perhaps erroneously, Forry Ackerman remembered originals of the Magarians’ work being auctioned at Chicon in 1940, donated by Amazing editor Ray Palmer.

Sadly, Florence suffered mental health issues and was in and out of a mental institution in Alton, Illinois, where she passed away at age 47 in 1960.

• Biography
• Bibliography at ISFDB

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Person

1912—1960

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