Often times, pinup artists would alter figures to make them sexier Mozert seemed to keep the original look of her models. Unlike her colleagues, she depicted more realistic views of women, while still painting them nude or in sexy outfits. Mozert often used herself as a model for her paintings and drawings. In 1945, she moved to California and worked as an art adviser and painter in the film industry. During the 1930s, she designed covers for pulp magazines such as True Confessions. Mozert studied at the Philadelphia Museum School of Industrial Art and moved to New York City in 1932 to work as a freelance artist. She was a contemporary of both Petty and Vargas. Zoe Mozert (American, 1904–1993) was one of the top pinup artists during the mid–20th century. Throughout history, there have also been female pinup artists.

Pin up art was not just art for men to gawk at. x 21 in., sold for US$30,000 at Heritage Auctions on October 13, 2012 In 1953, Vargas was hired as an artist for a new publication called Playboy, where he stayed until 1974.Īlberto Vargas, Varga Girl, c.1940–1959, 14.8 in. This soon led to the first Vargas girl calendar, which sold more copies than any other previous calendar the artist’s work has been highly sought after ever since then. The October, 1940 issue of Esquire printed Vargas’s first illustration and it received overwhelming praise. Before his time at Esquire, the artist worked for a number of years as a freelance commercial illustrator, and had created artwork for the film industry. After he left Esquire, the artist was replaced by Alberto Vargas.īorn in Peru and later based in New York, Vargas also furthered the image of the new ideal pinup girl. Petty girls, which were collected by GIs who were abroad during the war, were depicted with arched backs and wore sexualized outfits. When he was hired at Esquire magazine, he started to publish his own style of pinup girls. He worked as an airbrush retoucher and freelance artist for magazines. Petty studied art at the Paris Académie Julian until the start of World War I, when he was forced to return to the United States. Although one of the most widely known and recognizable pinup artists was Alberto Vargas (American, 1896–1983), his predecessor, George Petty (American, 1894–1975), was publishing the new form of pinup as early as 1933. It originated in the 1930s as a female alternative for the term “beefcake,” which refers to attractive photographs of men. The term “cheesecake” also started being used synonymously with pinup. During this time, pinup illustrations changed into the style we recognize today. Flapper culture allowed them to lose some of the modesty displayed by the Gibson Girl. The Gibson Girl represented mischief as well as liberation from tradition.Īfter World War I, the Gibson Girl was no longer relevant. She was proper, self–confident, and maintained an alluring gaze to the viewer. She was the image of idealized beauty in the early 20th century. Charles Dana Gibson (American, 1867–1944) created one of the earliest forms of pinup illustration, known as the Gibson Girl.

Burlesque remains popular today.Īlthough pinup photography existed, pinup illustration was more commercially available. Publicly, they were demure, but in private they were relatively okay with sexual exploration. Historically, the Victorian age has been known as the era of repression, but this has mostly been a myth. The term pinup came into play when performers left behind photographic business cards to be pinned up on the wall or stuck into mirror frames. Its system is a defiance of system.” 1īurlesque performances, although taboo to certain audiences, were seen as a form of entertainment that was not overly gratuitous. Together just at the points where they are most remote, and the result Rather, it forces the conventional and the natural “The peculiar trait of burlesque is its defiance both of the natural and Richard Grant Wright said in his 1869 article “Age of Burlesque”: Audiences had mixed reactions to burlesque, ranging from acceptance to disgust. Burlesque was born from certain theatre productions that had women wearing revealing costumes. They were usually a combination of comedy theatre and music acts. During the mid–1800s, vaudeville acts were popular amongst frontier settlements of the United States.

Pin up girl art