Pin-up Model - Wikipedia

Further information: Walter Clarence Thornton

 

From the early 19th century, when pin-up modeling had "theatrical origins", burlesque performers and actresses sometimes used photographic business cards to advertise shows. These promotional and business cards could be found backstage in almost every theater's green room, pinned up or placed in "frames of the looking-glasses, in the joints of the gas-burners, and sometimes lying on top of the sacred cast-case itself."[4] According to historian Maria Elena Buszek, "To understand both the complicated identity and the subversive nature of the 19th-century actress, one must also understand that the era's views on women's potential were inextricably tied to their sexuality, which in turn was tied to their level of visibility in the public sphere: regardless of race, class or background, it was generally assumed that the more public the woman, the more 'public,' or available, her sexuality." Famous actresses in early-20th-century film who were sexuality fantasized were both drawn, photographed and put on posters to be sold for personal use.[5] Among the celebrities who were considered sex symbols, one of the most popular early pin-up girls was Betty Grable, whose poster was ubiquitous in the lockers of G.I.s during World War II.

In Europe, prior to the First World War, the likes of "Miss Fernande" (who some identify as Fernande Barrey[6][7]) were arguably the world's first pin-ups in the modern sense. Miss Fernande displayed ample cleavage and full frontal nudity, and her pictures were cherished by soldiers on both sides of the First World War conflict.

 

Other pin-ups were artwork that depicted idealized versions of beautiful or attractive women. An early example of the latter type was the Gibson Girl, a representation of the New Woman drawn by Charles Dana Gibson. "Because the New Woman was symbolic of her new ideas about her sex, it was inevitable that she would also come to symbolize new ideas about sexuality."[8] Unlike the photographed actresses and dancers generations earlier, art gave artists the freedom to draw women in many different ways.[9] The "men's" magazine Esquire featured many drawings and "girlie" cartoons but was most famous for its "Vargas Girls". Prior to World War II, Vargas Girls were praised for their beauty and less focus was on their sexuality. However, during the war, the drawings transformed into women playing dress-up in military drag and drawn in seductive manners, like that of a child playing with a doll.[10] Vargas Girls became so popular that from 1942 to 1946, owing to a high volume of military demand, "9 million copies of the magazine-without adverts and free of charge was sent to American troops stationed overseas and in domestic bases."[11] The Vargas Girls were adapted as nose art on many World War II bomber and fighter aircraft; generally, they were not seen negatively or as prostitutes, but mostly as inspiring female patriots that were helpful for good luck.[12]

Among the other well-known American artists specializing in the field were Earle K. Bergey, Enoch Bolles, Gil Elvgren, George Petty, Rolf Armstrong, Zoë Mozert, Duane Bryers,[13] and Art Frahm. Notable contemporary pin-up artists include Olivia De Berardinis, known for her pin-up art of Bettie Page and her pieces in Playboy.