July pinup girl by artist George Petty

This July pinup girl dates from 1953 and was painted by George Petty.

From 1933 to 1956, the "Petty Girl" was seen on tens of millions of calendars, magazine centrefolds, advertisements, posters, and billboards as well as on all sorts of specialty products. In 1950, "The Petty Girl" even became a major motion picture.

See also the George Petty galleries at The Pinup Files.

ARTIST :: George Petty
DATE :: 1953
Image subject to copyright

June pin-up girl by artist Alberto Vargas

This June pin-up girl was published in 1947 by Esquire Magazine and was painted by Alberto Vargas.

When Alberto Vargas and Esquire went their separate ways in 1946, the artist immediately embarked upon a project to publish his own yearly calendar. In the meantime, the magazine published an Esquire Calendar for 1947 that consisted completely of unsigned Vargas paintings. By the time Vargas' 1948 calendar was published, Esquire had a court order barring the artist from selling or distributing any product bearing the name "Varga", which the magazine had copyrighted.

In 1950, a court ruled that Vargas would have to sign all his subsequent paintings with his full name.

ARTIST :: Alberto Vargas
DATE :: 1947
Copyright © Esquire Inc

May pin-up girl by artist Ernest Chiriaka

This May pin-up girl was published in 1954 by Esquire Magazine and was painted by Ernest Chiriaka.

Chiriaka took over the magazine's pin-up calendar from Al Moore in 1953, a great responsibility since the calendar was the largest-selling and most popular in the world.

ARTIST :: Ernest Chiriaka
DATE :: 1954
Copyright © Esquire Inc

April pin-up girl by Bill Randall

This April pin-up girl was published in 1956 by the Kemper-Thomas Calendar Company and was painted by Bill Randall.

Bill Randall was a highly prolific, versatile illustrator who painted pin-up and pin-up art for a vast range of markets. The first of Randall's Date Book calendar series was published in 1953 by the Kemper-Thomas Calendar Company in Ohio. One of the most successful in the company's history, the series is sometimes compared to the Artist's Sketch Pads published by Brown & Bigelow. However, Randall's sketches were executed in gouache rather than pencil and were drawn on an overlay rather than on the painting itself. The result was that his calendars had a more light-hearted feeling, accented by the cartoon-like side sketches. That a photograph of Randall often appeared on the front of the calendar only enhanced his celebrity.

Want to know more? Go to the Bill Randall gallery at The Pinup Files.

ARTIST :: Bill Randall
DATE :: 1956
Copyright © Kemper-Thomas Calendar Company

Jessamyn Rose – pin-up model

Jessamyn Rose was born in Australia but now lives in Los Angeles in the US. She has a range of styles, including pin-up and glamour, and enjoys transforming herself into different characters with different looks. She is a creative and thrives on working with liked minded souls to bring visions to life.

Her background is in dance which is a distinct advantage when setting up poses. She also draws inspiration from her love of art history.

“My passion is to create images that touch people, to bring authenticity and creativity, portraying feminine beauty as the ever alluring goddess.”

Jessamyn has worked with a number of photographers featured in The Pin-up Files including Shannon Brooke, Gary Heller and Michael Malak.

MODEL :: Jessamyn Rose
PHOTOGRAPHER :: Shannon Brooke
Copyright © Shannon Brooke

March pin-up girl by Bill Randall

This March pin-up girl was published in 1959 by the Kemper-Thomas Calendar Company and was painted by Bill Randall.

Bill Randall was a highly prolific, versatile illustrator who painted pin-up and pin-up art for a vast range of markets. The first of Randall's Date Book calendar series was published in 1953 by the Kemper-Thomas Calendar Company in Ohio. One of the most successful in the company's history, the series is sometimes compared to the Artist's Sketch Pads published by Brown & Bigelow. However, Randall's sketches were executed in gouache rather than pencil and were drawn on an overlay rather than on the painting itself. The result was that his calendars had a more light-hearted feeling, accented by the cartoon-like side sketches. That a photograph of Randall often appeared on the front of the calendar only enhanced his celebrity.

Want to know more? Go to the Bill Randall gallery at The Pinup Files.

ARTIST :: Bill Randall
DATE :: 1959
Copyright © Kemper-Thomas Calendar Company

February pin-up girl by artist Ernest Chiriaka

This February pin-up girl was published in 1953 by Esquire Magazine and was painted by Ernest Chiriaka.

Chiriaka took over the magazine's pin-up calendar from Al Moore in 1953, a great responsibility since the calendar was the largest-selling and most popular in the world.

ARTIST :: Ernest Chiriaka
DATE :: 1953
Copyright © Esquire Inc

January pin-up girl by artist Ernest Chiriaka

This January pin-up girl was published in 1953 by Esquire Magazine and was painted by Ernest Chiriaka.

Chiriaka took over the magazine's pin-up calendar from Al Moore in 1953, a great responsibility since the calendar was the largest-selling and most popular in the world.

ARTIST :: Ernest Chiriaka
DATE :: 1953
Image subject to copyright

December pin-up girl by artist George Petty

This December pin-up girl dates from 1947 and was painted by George Petty.

From 1933 to 1956, the "Petty Girl" was seen on tens of millions of calendars, magazine centrefolds, advertisements, posters, and billboards as well as on all sorts of specialty products. In 1950, "The Petty Girl" even became a major motion picture.

Want to know more? Go to the George Petty galleries at The Pinup Files.

ARTIST :: George Petty
DATE :: 1947
Image subject to copyright

November pin-up girl by artist George Petty

This November pin-up girl dates from 1952 and was painted by George Petty.

From 1933 to 1956, the "Petty Girl" was seen on tens of millions of calendars, magazine centrefolds, advertisements, posters, and billboards as well as on all sorts of specialty products. In 1950, "The Petty Girl" even became a major motion picture.

See also the George Petty galleries at The Pinup Files.

ARTIST :: George Petty
DATE :: 1952
Image subject to copyright

October pinup girl by artist Al Moore

This October pinup girl was painted by Al Moore for the 1950 Esquire calendar.

Al Moore's breakthrough assignment was being chosen by Esquire to replace Alberto Vargas, the most popular pin-up artist of the day. Among his triumphs at the magazine were his creation of the Esquire Girl (his answer to the Varga Girl), the 1948 Esquire calendar (with Ben-Hur Baz and others), front covers in 1948 and 1949, and the rare honor of painting the entire 1949 and 1950 calendars himself. By 1950, his two-page gatefolds in Esquire were collected by millions of Americans.

See also the Al Moore gallery at The Pin-up Files.

ARTIST :: Al Moore
DATE :: 1950
Image subject to copyright

September pinup girl by artist George Petty

This September pinup girl dates from 1952 and was painted by George Petty.

From 1933 to 1956, the "Petty Girl" was seen on tens of millions of calendars, magazine centrefolds, advertisements, posters, and billboards as well as on all sorts of specialty products. In 1950, "The Petty Girl" even became a major motion picture.

See also the George Petty galleries at The Pinup Files.

ARTIST :: George Petty
DATE :: 1952
Image subject to copyright

August pinup girl by artist George Petty

This August pinup girl dates from 1952 and was painted by George Petty.

From 1933 to 1956, the "Petty Girl" was seen on tens of millions of calendars, magazine centrefolds, advertisements, posters, and billboards as well as on all sorts of specialty products. In 1950, "The Petty Girl" even became a major motion picture.

See also the George Petty galleries at The Pinup Files.

ARTIST :: George Petty
DATE :: 1952
Image subject to copyright

Passion for Pin-ups Art Contest

The Pin-up Files was recently asked to be one of the sponsors of the Passion for Pin-ups Art Contest organised by photographer and artist Cindy Nunn at Fine Art America. Naturally, we said YES!

We asked Cindy why she had created the contest.

"My idea for the Passion for Pin-ups contest came about after general dissatisfaction with a previous, similar contest I hosted earlier in the year. Although some of the art was beautifully done most of it was badly composed and very few pieces resembled what would be considered classic pin-up style. For that contest I allowed any member of Fine Art America to vote. So, I decided to host another contest, with a panel of eight jurors/judges to decide the winning pieces, and this time around I was more brutal in the weeding out process. This method worked out well and in the end we had some fantastic pin-up art to vote for, as you can see by the quality of the winning pieces.

"The internet and art sites have been inundated and flooded with 'art' which is quite often just glorified pornography. I personally don't have a problem with porn and feel it does have its place in society, with limits, but it seemed that the art of the tease was being lost. Pin-up art portrays a more innocent sexuality that is attractive, appealing and fun, and this was my effort to help in the process of reviving it."

The standard of entries was high but  here are the winners!

1st Place - Gary Heller | Gary Heller Photography "My work is most always inspired by light and shadow, shapes and definition as well as character and mood."

New York photographer Gary Heller first picked up a camera around ten years ago, shooting urban and rural scenes. His work in this genre clearly demonstrates his striking command of texture and light. More recently he started to explore portraiture, pin-up and fetish achieving some stunning results. His winning photograph of model Jade Vixen is a superb example of contemporary pin-up, combining a touch of fetish with a vintage vibe.


1st Place - "Jade Vixen Bubblegum Erotic Pin-up 1098" | Buy this print

2nd Place - Jeff Thrower | Jeff Thrower Photography "I have a very strong passion for photography and design. My work is very detail orientated when it comes to capturing a beautiful and unique piece of art. I am very open-minded and think outside the box. I believe that by having these traits, it helps my work to stand out, attract attention and make it memorable to others."

2nd Place - "White Wall Pin-up Girl" | Buy this print

3rd Place - Kevin Clark | Kevin Clark Pin-up Artist "I look to find not just an interesting image, but something that tells the viewer a bit about the model - perhaps a glimpse into her soul if we're lucky."

3rd Place - "Whoa Nellie" | Buy this print

Want to know more? Go to the Passion for Pin-ups website.

Chrissy Sparks pin-up photographer

Want to know more? See the Chrissy Sparks gallery at The Pin-up Files.

PHOTOGRAPHER :: Chrissy Sparks (Doll House Photography)
MODEL :: SINderella Rockafella
Copyright © Chrissy Sparks

Secrets In Lace - lingerie for pin-up girls

To celebrate their 30th Year in business, Secrets In Lace bring you their latest design in fully fashioned stockings ... just in time for Valentine's Day!

The gift of glamour!

view | buy at Secrets In Lace

Gary Heller contemporary pin-up photographer

Want to know more? See the Gary Heller gallery at The Pin-up Files.

PHOTOGRAPHER :: Gary Heller
MODEL :: Mosh
Copyright © Gary Heller

TJ Rappel contemporary pin-up artist

Want to know more? See the TJ Rappel gallery at The Pin-up Files.

ARTIST :: TJ Rappel
TITLE :: Eat At Joe's
Copyright © TJ Rapple

Christmas pin-ups

From 1933 to 1956, the "Petty Girl" was seen on tens of millions of calendars, magazine centrefolds, advertisements, posters, and billboards as well as on all sorts of specialty products. In 1950, "The Petty Girl" even became a major motion picture.

Want to know more? Go to the George Petty galleries at The Pinup Files.

ARTIST :: George Petty
Image subject to copyright

Secrets In Lace - lingerie for pin-up girls

Secrets In Lace brings you their newest, exclusive design in stockings.

The Banbury French Heel Fully Fashioned Stocking has a bold pink welt, a double black line in the underwelt and a fine black Picot line at the top of the welt combined with a 15 denier black french heel. We think this is a very glamorous and sophisticated design!

These are the finest quality stockings, created for you by Secrets In Lace! As with all their ff nylons, they include the hand sewn backseam and the finishing hole in the welt. 

The gift of glamour!

View and buy at Secrets In Lace