Pinups

Pinups refer to images of glamorous women intended to be displayed on walls; the term derives from the practice of pinning posters or photographs to surfaces. Pinups may be photographs, illustrations, or mixed-media works, and span styles from photographic glamour shots to painterly calendar art. They typically emphasize femininity, fashion, and flirtatious charm, presented in a tasteful or stylized manner within the cultural norms of their era.

Pinups have roots in early 20th-century illustration and advertising, but the contemporary term gained prominence in the United States during the 1940s as morale-boosting imagery for military personnel in World War II. Artists such as George Petty, known for the Petty Girls (Esquire, 1930s–40s), Gil Elvgren (Brown & Bigelow, mid-20th century), and Alberto Vargas (Vargas Girls, Esquire, mid-20th century) contributed to the popular pinup style. The images often appeared in calendars, posters, and magazines and helped establish a recognizable standard of glamour and pin-up pose.

During the postwar period, pinups diversified into different substyles, including illustration-based glossy glamour and later photographic calendar art, with airbrushing and retouching techniques common in studios. In contemporary culture, pinups persist in retro and vintage aesthetics, with modern photographers and artists reviving the style for calendars, posters, and online media; some artists, such as Olivia de Berardinis, continue in a traditional painterly vein, while others adopt contemporary fashion photography sensibilities. The pinup has also been discussed in terms of representation, objectification, and empowerment, depending on context and perspective.