Raphael Kirchner & Georges Leonnec

A little while ago, a friend was having a clear out and sent me a bundle of old postcards. Several French-looking pin ups were soon weeded out for further investigation. They were by two artists, Raphael Kirchner (1876-1917) and Georges Leonnec (1881-1940), who were Austrian and French respectively. Both sets of cards were produced during the First War, although by this time, Kirchner was living in the USA. His cards in particular found their way into the trenches, suggesting that he was one of the first 'pin up' artists. Indeed, all my cards have a tiny pin-hole at one end, so may well have bought a little entertainment to a soldier far from home. All were in rather poor condition, despite being postally unused and were a bit grubby (dirty postcards, indeed!). I have done minimal work in Photoshop as I felt that this would lose some of their character if I tidied them up too much. The first three are by Kirchner, the rest by Leonnec;

Fiesta Fun Shop

Hey, there's a great idea! Dress up your wife/girlfriend to advertise your favourite porn magazine............ Advert from Fiesta, issue 22/10 (1988).

On the beach - Fifties style

Two little adverts for beachwear; a Sabrina one-piece for the ladies and for the chaps, a pair of Pegasus beach shorts featuring ROC-JOC (patented) support....... From She magazine (1956) and a guide to Brixham (1958), respectively. The Sabrina was presumably named after the actress and model of the same name, at that time featuring in films and on the TV in the UK.

Lewis's of Leicester

This little advert appeared in a guide for ramblers in Leicestershire, which was published in 1936,the year after the store opened. Although the company went into administration in 1991, Leicester continued to trade following a management buyout, but soon closed. The building was demolished in late-1995, although the tower was retained, incorporated into the current building.

Endorsed by Humph

The Jazz musician Humphrey Lyttelton puts his name behind the Technics SL1700 Direct Drive Turntable as seen in Penthouse magazine, issue 12/7 (1977). At this time, he was best-known as the chairman of BBC Radio 4's  'antidote to panel games', I'm Sorry I havn't a Clue, in which capacity he broadcast from 1972, until his death in 2008.

Roy Raymonde's Fairy Tales

A lusty take on some traditional fairy tales, as re-told by cartoonist Roy Raymonde (1929-2009) in Mayfair magazine, issue 5/2 (1970).