Description
1953 sample calendar -for use in 1954- by T.N. Thompson, who, similar to Vargas, was a popular pin-up artist in the 1940s and known for his artist’s sketchpad/ book series.
But what really makes this calendar interesting is that the model for the top page is a pre-fame Marilyn Monroe. The famous Golden Dreams pose was taken in 1949 by Tom Kelley and like many of his cheesecake nude photos was distributed as a generic pose for use by pin up painters. Monroe most famously worked as a pin-up model for Earl Moran. The supposedly anonymous arrangement, of posing for photographs solely to be used by pin-up artists, allowed Monroe pose naked while progressing her career as a Hollywood starlet (she played 7 bit parts during the 1940s). In 1952 the Golden Dreams photo was included in salesmen’s packs for generic promotional advertising products – such as wall or desk calendars, notebooks for liquors stores, garages etc…..
Although this calendar by T.N.Thompson, used the Golden Dreams pose in the same year Marilyn became a box office success with Niagara, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes & How to Marry a Millionaire, she remains uncredited. However the photo came back to haunt her when Hefner used the four year old photo to launch his new magazine Playboy in 1953.
Given Monroe’s enduring popularity, her career as a pin up model is arguably one of the more interesting areas of collecting….Original Moran paintings/pastels fetched in excess of $80,000 and the resultant promotional items have all become collectors items.
Condition : Excellent :complete all 12 months. Due to the “Your Advertisement Here” , this is probably a salesmen’s unused sample. The pages are held firmly together with a ‘Tin Top” binding strip.
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