The Mystery Of The Queen Of Pinups

The era of the pinup girl was one of the most famous and celebrated eras of glamour model photography, with stories and legends that continue to this day, although none are quite as captivating, provocative and strange as that of Bettie Page.

Known as the Queen of Pinups, Bettie Page at one point rivalled actors Marilyn Monroe and Jayne Mansfield in terms of popularity, but her tumultuous rise and sudden disappearance still draw interest to this day.

She started her career in glamour photography in “camera clubs”, becoming a popular model due to the exuberance in her poses, quickly bringing her into the professional modelling world.

Her work ranged widely from appearing in early editions of Playboy Magazine to a range of speciality bondage-themed shoots taken by Irving Klaw, although she never performed any explicitly sexual scenes.

This, along with her almost contrasting look of dark hair, bangs and a less coquettish attitude to her sexuality, made her the most popular pinup model in America from 1954 up until 1957, and she likely would have had an even longer career had she not retired suddenly.

Exactly why she quit modelling is the subject of considerable debate. Some cite an investigation by Senator Estes Kefauver, which claimed that the works of Irving Klaw had a bad influence on people, to the point of blaming Mr Klaw and Ms Page for the death of a young man.

Whilst she ultimately was not forced to testify against her friends and colleagues, the experience would ultimately cause her to become a born-again evangelical Christian, speaking out against her modelling career.

Despite this, she would inadvertently help to create the modern burlesque subculture in the late 1970s, with modelling groups such as the SuicideGirls, models such as Dita Von Tease and musicians such as Katy Perry, Madonna and Rhianna would all take influence from her.