Antiques: Cheesecake is not just for eating
It's a matter of fact that today's kids are exposed to vastly more imagery via the internet that those of us who have gone before. While much of it is useful, there are also graphics that used to be limited to adult viewing. Be that as it may, there is no stuffing that genie back in the bottle. However, in columns like this we can harken back to a time when bunk rooms and garages were adorned by pretty girls with rosy cheeks and at least a modicum of modesty: i.e., yummy cheesecake but without the calories. Those were the pin-ups of yore, and that's our subject of today.
As it happens, the history of pin-ups goes hand-in-hand with the introduction of postcards. The idea of a non-enveloped note first emerged from Europe around the middle of the 19th century. There was initially some resistance as early users of the mail were reluctant to make their correspondence available for anyone to read. All the same, the Austrian government introduced the first formal postcard in 1869 after a call for a less expensive means of communicating by mail. By the 1890s, imagery of all sorts was being applied to postcards, often mundane scenery but sometimes scandalous photos of unclad women. These were known as French postcards.
Not surprisingly, French postcards were immediate hits with the soldiers and sailors of the day, pining as they were for their sweethearts left behind. By the advent of World War II, they were hugely popular, both in the form of jocular cartoon images with double-entendre punch lines but especially illustrations or photographs of lovely young women. Among the most popular scenes was that of the American actress Betty Grable posing in a swimsuit with her back turned towards the camera. Her "million dollar legs" were objects of admiration by Allied servicemen around the world.
Grable's pin-ups, along with those featuring such beauties as Rita Hayworth, Jane Russell, and, yes, Marilyn Monroe, became not only postcard staples but soon came to adorn calendars, magazines and posters. While somewhat less widely distributed, Black models such as Josephine Baker and Dorothy Dandridge also had many fans. In the 1950s, more curvaceous figures such as those of Brigette Bardot and Sophia Loren had their days of exposure, followed in the 1960s by the more skeletonized looks belonging to Jean Shrimpton and Twiggy.
As for today, well, it seems that just about anything goes.
Despite the no-limits world we occupy today, there remains something sweet and innocent about midcentury pin-ups, and there are many collectors of same. Some enthusiasts prefer particular models while others focus on a certain artist or style. Images in good condition remain widely available and at price points that run the gamut. Galleries like ours often have good selections, pre-framed and ready to go. If your man cave doesn't already have a few, you might want to start looking around. It's the best kind of cheesecake.
Mike Rivkin and his wife, Linda, are long-time residents of Rancho Mirage. For many years, he was an award-winning catalogue publisher and has authored seven books, along with countless articles. Now, he's the owner of Antique Galleries of Palm Springs. His antiques column appears Sundays in The Desert Sun. Want to send Mike a question about antiques? Drop him a line at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Antiques: Cheesecake is not just for eating
