1910s – History of Pin-up

The 1910s were an awkward period. Notably, we had two major events happen in this single decade – both of which helped shape the face of pin-up as we know it. The first is the death of King Edward, thus ending the Edwardian era and all the influences that he brought around. Some of the styles still held over, including …

1900s – History of Pin-Up

Goodbye Victorians. Hello Edwardians. The turn of the century had some great leaps and bounds for the genre we call pin-up. Those uptight Victorians got replaced with the new and lewd Edwardian culture. Mass transportation made seeing new sights a breeze, and photographic printing comes mainstream. What a time to be alive. At this point the Victorian era, along with …

1890s – History of Pin-Up

The 1890s wraps up the first century of Pin-Up Photography, as well as the end of the Victorian era. This era doesn’t go out without some great progress for the genre, as well as society as a whole. We see a huge progression spurt of growth in the cigarette cards that were first introduced in the 1880s. And following the …

1880s – History of Pin-up

The 1880s were a pretty calm period in the evolution of pin-up. However, it did have two very notable points that helped shape the genre of pin-up. On the smaller, but more casual side, we now see that nude models are now allowed in art classes. You might think that nudes have always been allowed in the artist’s den as …

1870s – History of Pin-up

We have now reached the 1870s in our journey through history.  This decade, again, featured a dramatic change to the previous decade (which we will see as a theme throughout this project). The strict social codes we saw in the 1860s were just a bit too strict. People wanted nudity, but didn’t want to seem obscene while viewing it. They …

1860s – History of Pin-Up

The 1860s have arrived. And we are in stark contrast to the freedom and flexibility of the unregulated 1850s. Victorian morals are everywhere; technology is changing; and the overall purpose of the pin-up is starting to develop. Politically, we have the American Civic War, Lincoln and the Emancipation Proclamation, the Pony Express (ok, for just 1 year), and railroads are …

1850s – History of Pin-Up Photography

Welcome to the 1850s in America. This is the start of our journey as it is the first time in history when photography becomes possible for more than a select few individuals. The process is still time intensive, taking between several hours to several minutes to create a single photograph. But it is possible to photograph people now, provided they …

History of Pin-Up Photography in America

Most people are familiar with the term pin-up. We’ve seen them on old bomber nose art from World War II, in old Playboy magazines that belong to our fathers, tattooed on the forearm of a veteran, and plastered on novelty items. They feature beautiful women with a cute and innocent expression that reminds us of the American Dream. The term …