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George Petty
(1884 - 1975) So famous was the Petty Girl, MGM made a movie about her. With Esquire magazine's issue No. 1, Petty's girls were female shapes poured from a martini shaker of imagination. The lines were simple -- even non-existent -- shades of fade-aways by Coles Phillips, Valentine Sandberg and, most closely, Will Grefé. Petty girls were as healthy as milk, sexy as champagne and often posed in little more than ballet shoes. Having Petty's airbrushed beauties in an ad campaign was a plus (The Ice Capades, Rigid Tool Company, Old Gold Cigarettes, TWA). From magazine covers to Jantzen swimsuit ads to calendars, Petty was one of the best at depicting American women; he even created a hood ornament for the Pinin Farina designed Nash .The 1945 Art Directors annual had illustrators' classifieds. Most artists listed their qualifications dryly: "Advertising illustrations," "Water color and oil," "Posters and Book Design," etc. Petty's ad was different. It said, "Telephones tenderly rendered." Atlas Beer, "Don't Deny Yourself the Joys of Beer" (1930s) Petty - 001 Bestform (1945) Petty - 002 Calendar Girl, "I'm Angling" (1955) Petty - 003 Old Gold ads (1939) Petty - 004 Waves Recuriting Poster (1940s) Petty - 005 Esquire, "Tired Folks?" (1935) Petty - 006 Time Magazine Cover, Rita Hayworth (1941) Petty - 007 Jantzen (1937, 1938) Petty - 008 Ice Capades (1948) Petty - 009 Petty at work (1939) Petty - 010 Esquire Premier Issue, "Darling, what -- kachoo -- difference does age-- kachoo -- make anyway?" (Autumn 1933) Petty - 011 |
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