History: Pin-Ups

Pin- Up. Noun. 1.a. A Picture, especially of a sexually attractive person, that is displayed on the wall

The Origins

Most historians agree that pin-up originated in the "Gay 1890's" in France. Parisian artist Jules Cheret gets the distinction of being the first pin-up artist and inventing the poster, simultaneously of course. The public was ready to bring the Victorian Era of strict morality to a close, and posters of beautiful women began to spring up all over Europe advertising everything from music halls to cigarette papers. By the close of the nineteenth century, posters were so prevalent and popular the French government had a system to regulate and tax them. An entire book can be written on early European Pin-Up (and has), so without further ado, I will focus on the Pin-Up Movement in America.

The American Pin-Up is born

The American Pin-Up has its roots in The Gibson Girl; a creation of artist Charles Dana Gibson, she personified beauty, personal fulfillment, and American national prestige. She wore elegant dresses and bustle gowns, and was pictured doing everything from attending college to strolling on a beach. The outbreak of World War I caused American ideals and fashion to shift, and The Gibson Girl fell in popularity as women began to prefer more masculine suits over elegant gowns and visions of leisurely women.

While WWI caused the pin-up to fall from favor, World War II brought her back in a huge way! No barrack was complete without Hollywood starlet style pin-up photographs of Betty Grable and Rita Hayworth. Grable earned the title of "most popular pin-up model of WWII" & her legs were insured by Lloyd's of London for a staggering One Million Dollars!!

Pin-ups were thought to boost troop morale, and American companies wanted to do their part. The Louis F. Dow Calendar Company produced special booklets of pin-up art created by their star artist Gillette Elvgren. These books were compiled and mailed to soldiers overseas free of charge. Lucky Strike cigarettes, famous for handing out free packs to soldiers overseas, produced their own pin-up calendar as well.

Meanwhile, back at home, The Ziegfeld Follies on Broadway enjoyed amazing popularity throughout the early 1900s, as did their poster artist American (Peruvian born) Alberto Vargas. Vargas went on to have a regular feature in Esquire Magazine called "Varga Girls" and each issue had a new girl and a new theme. (After Esquire stopped printing pinups in the 50s, Vargas went over to the then unknown Playboy Magazine for Men.) The 1940s celebrated the end of the Great Depression with a renewal of glamour. Piloted by Christian Dior, pin-ups soon advertised everything, and pin-up calendars were the marketing tool of choice of most American companies. These were the "good girl" pin-ups (i.e. a wholesome girl-next-door has her skirt pulled up by a playful puppy- it's not her fault her garter is showing!).

The Birth of Cheesecake

Some say the name came from a famous quote, "A beautiful woman is better than cheesecake". Some attribute the name as a female version of "Beefcake" for a handsome, well-built man. Whatever the case, Cheesecake had always existed in the realm of pin-up, but it wasn't until the 1940s and 50s that it really took off. Cheesecake is a style of pin-up characterized by playful expressions, story line themes, and over the top poses; in short, "hamming it up". Cheesecake images were used throughout WWII: painted on the noses of airplanes, decorating both magazine pages and GIs' lockers, not to mention advertising for countless companies.

Photography Becomes the medium of choice

A little lady named Norma Jean Baker unintentionally changed the face of pin-up into more of what we know it today. In 1949, photographer Tom Kelley paid Baker $50 to model nude for him on a red velvet background, a couple of years later a fledgling magazine bought the rights to publish the shoot. The shoot was titled "Golden Dreams", and the magazine was Playboy, and the centerfold- well she was the infamous Marilyn Monroe. Enter the American Sexual Revolution.

While Marilyn went on to become a pin-up model, spokesperson, sexpot, and Hollywood B movie starlet; she wasn't the only infamous pin-up. The 1955 Playmate of the year- Bettie Page became notorious in her own right. Both Marilyn and Bettie were small town girls, with a genuine naivety about them, but they reached notoriety in different circles. Marilyn was all glamour; Bettie was all personality. Page didn't have the luxury of expensive sets and top photographers- she made her images sought after with shear charm and personality. Photographer Bunny Yeager, Playboy Magazine, and Bettie Page, collaborated on a number of photographs- easily her best work ever- and they sold for a mere $100.

While Marilyn Monroe and Bettie Page are the most famous, and the antithesis of one another, the 1950's saw a huge variety of successful pinup models. Bridgette Bardot, Sophia Loren, Jayne Mansfield, and Lili St.Claire carved out a great following for themselves within the niche.

The Here and Now

For over 35 years (1960-late 1990s) the pin-up was thought of as a thing of the past. "Free love" dominated the 1960s, there was no need to be coy. The 1970s gave birth to magazines like Larry Flynt's Hustler which, pardon the pun, were much more "in your face". The 1980s and 90s, well they were characterized by instant gratification, mesh and lace gloves, and low-rise jeans. Simply walking down the street one would find more provocative clothing than pin-ups offered!

Maybe it's the war, maybe it's hard economic times, maybe it's that there's no way to possibly top the overt sexuality of Madonna. Whatever the reason, the pin-up is making a comeback. Most modern pin-up work is done with photography as its medium and looks to the cheesecake era of the 1940s and 50s for inspiration. Pin-up should be fun, playful, sexy, and tell a little story. Let's celebrate our feminine mystique and divine sexuality- nothing would make the late Marilyn Monroe and Bettie Page prouder!

Sources

Art History Archive. http://www.arthistoryarchive.com/arthistory/pinupart/

Burrows, Jim. Cheesecake: The Art of the Pin-up. http://homepage.mac.com/brons/Art/Cheesecake.html

Shapiro, Tali. The Pin-Up Blog- Where Sex Objects are the Objects of Intellectual Conversation. www.thepinupblog.com

Through The Looking Glass Studio