Is Show Icon Preview in View Options checked? Whether it is or not, try the opposite setting.
If that doesn't help, it might be a Finder issue.
Locate your com.apple.finder.plist file and move it to the Desktop.
Mine is in Users/MyUserName/Library/Preferences (OS 10.5.8)
Now Restart.
Did that fix it?
If not, log in under a different user account.
How does that look?