by Art Frahm

In “The Art of Pin-up,” Dian Hanson describes a pin-up simply as a “provocative but never explicit image of an attractive woman created specifically for public display in a male environment.”

But this imaginary female isn’t just attractive.

“Her sexiness is natural and uncontrived, and her exposure is always accidental:

A fishhook catches her bikini top, an outboard motor shreds her skirt, a spunky puppy trips her up or the ever-present playful breeze lifts her hem, revealing stocking tops and garter straps, but never the whole enchilada.”

By Bill Medcalf

Since they skyrocketed to popularity in the World War II era, pin-up images have occupied a variety of roles — military inspiration, commercial photography, kitsch nostalgia and cult aesthetic.

But the images of buxom hips and red lips rarely fall into the category of fine art.

Which is rather unfortunate.

Zoe Mozert painting Jane Russell for The Outlaw film poster

via The Glamorous History Of Pin-Up Like You’ve Never Seen It Before.