1940-50's Pin Up Magazine Covers
"The American Pin-Up has its roots in The Gibson Girl; a creation of artist Charles Dana Gibson, she personified beauty, personal fulfillment, and American national prestige. She wore elegant dresses and bustle gowns, and was pictured doing everything from attending college to strolling on a beach. The outbreak of World War I caused American ideals and fashion to shift, and The Gibson Girl fell in popularity as women began to prefer more masculine suits over elegant gowns and visions of leisurely women.
While WWI caused the pin-up to fall from favour, World War II brought her back in a huge way! No barrack was complete without Hollywood starlet style pin-up photographs of Betty Grable and Rita Hayworth. Grable earned the title of "most popular pin-up model of WWII" & her legs were insured by Lloyd's of London for a staggering One Million Dollars!!" Pinup
Various sources
