Pin up posters might not have the popularity today that they once did, but most people will immediately recognize some of the most popular pin up moments from the heyday of beautiful pin up models. Marilyn Monroe was a pin up queen in her day, and any collection of pin ups should feature her in at least a few pieces. Marilyn was a popular pin up girl in the 1950s, considered a sex symbol and the epitome of beauty and glamor. She was more than just an actress, though, acclaimed for a comic performance in Some Like it Hot and her rare dramatic turn in Bus Stop. She was an idol, an icon, and one of the Hollywood legends created during that period.

A collection of pin up posters represents a phase of US history that relied heavily on entertainment in movies and magazines. World War II made entertainment at home necessary to show the country that no matter what, there were good things to look forward to and keep morale from getting too low. Entertainment also served during this period to make things look as normal as possible at home, and try to give the illusion that though we were at war, everything was all right and would remain all right. It took the emphasis off the fact that people were dying elsewhere.

Pin up posters weren’t all about Marilyn, though, she was merely one of the best-known subjects. Betty Grable was featured on perhaps the most widely recognizable pin up of all time, popular during World War II. Almost everyone who’s been exposed to entertainment media in any form, even today, is probably familiar with the shot of Grable. She’s wearing a bathing suit and standing with her back to the camera, looking over her shoulder. The seductive backward look, the high heels and the hands on her hips were all provocative at the time, and helped cement her as a sex symbol and the woman of many soldiers’ dreams. Grable had what were considered to be perfect legs, insured for $1,000,000 by her movie studio. She was even reported to be Hugh Hefner’s inspiration for his Playboy empire.

Pin up posters didn’t always feature sex symbols like Monroe and Grable in photographs. Artwork was another popular pin up subjects. Alberto Vargas fro Peru created so many pin up of beautiful and voluptuous girls that the term Vargas girl is widely recognized and often is used to refer to a drawn or painted pin up girl.

A great place to find original and reproduction pin up posters is eBay, where you can often find the original magazine covers or intact magazines featuring photography, and even artwork by well known pin up artists like Vargas. Originals are rarely in great condition, but they’re still surprisingly available. Just be sure to clarify whether it’s an original or one of the reproductions that are so popular with fan of the genre who don’t want to spend the time or money necessary to track down an original.

Originally posted 2008-10-31 05:00:06. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

• Vintage Pin-Up Posters Memorabilia -> Movie Memorabilia -> Posters Vintage pin-up posters represent a popular movie and magazine phase of US history. The ultimate pin-up girl was Marilyn Monroe, without whom no collection of vintage pin-ups would be complete. She was the pin-up queen of the 1950s, a sex symbol, and was considered......
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Vintage pin-up posters represent a popular movie and magazine phase of US history. The ultimate pin-up girl was Marilyn Monroe, without whom no collection of vintage pin-ups would be complete. She was the pin-up queen of the 1950s, a sex symbol, and was considered one of the most beautiful and glamorous women of the time. Her comic performances were praised, and her dramatic turn in Bus Stop earned her critical acclaim. Marilyn won a Golden Globe for her performance in Some Like it Hot. But more than a model an actress, she was an icon of the time, and one of the most photographed women ever.

While Marilyn is probably the best known pin-up girl, a number of other models were among the most popular gracing posters and magazine covers. Betty Grable vintage pin-up posters represent the most popular pin-up of the World War II era. Even if you don’t know who she is, you’ve probably seen her famous bathing-suit pin-up where she’s standing with her back to the camera in high heels and a swimsuit, hands on hips, and looking over her shoulder to smile. Grable’s legs were considered the ideal proportion at the time, and were even insured by the movie studio for $1,000,000. Hugh Hefner cites Grable as his inspiration for starting the Playboy empire.

Celebrities who were thought of as sex symbols at the time like Monroe and Grable were often photographed for pin-ups, but artwork is another popular category of vintage pin-up posters. These were usually idealized images of feminine beauty. Many highly collectible pin-ups aren’t photographs at all, but artwork but some of the most well-known artists of the time. Original vintage prints are available in online auctions, and they’re surprisingly affordable, making them great for collectors of all means and budgets.

One of the most well-known pin-up artists is Alberto Vargas from Peru, who was probably the most prolific glamor artist of them all. He started out as an illustrator for Butterick Patterns and the Adelson Hat Company. In 1919, he was discovered by the Ziegfeld Follies while painting a store window. That lead to work painting in the Amsterdam theater and introduced him to the Follies’ stars, all of whom he painted over the next 12 years. Later he worked for Paramount, Warner Bros and MGM. His first calendar of American girls was put out by Esquire under the name Varga in 1940, at Esquire’s insistence, but after they split in 1946 he resorted to using his full name. He put out his own calendar, took lots of commercial work, and did over 150 paintings for Playboy, including two covers.

Many vintage pin-up posters are referred to as “Vargas” or “Vargas girls” when in fact they were created by other artists of the era. When purchasing any pin-up, be sure the description makes it clear that it’s an original vintage item and not a reproduction.

Originally posted 2008-10-11 14:00:43. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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