To: pml1@yahoogroups.com
From: Mark Tomlonson
Date: Mon, 20 Oct 2003 09:56:35 -0400
Subject: [PML1] CC: June Blair

In June Blair's centerfold (January 1957) she's laying on the sofa, coy 
about her intentions.

If I had to pick a photo that typified fifties pin-ups, this one would 
be towards the top of the list. June's coyness is a look I've seen many 
times in pin-ups of the period. I see an element of illicitness in 
June's expression: "Do you think we could dare to do that?" As someone 
who grew up in and after the Sexual Revolution, the idea that just the 
idea of sex is titillating seems somewhere between quaint and outright 
stupid.

In that same location is the accented red in this centerfold. I remember 
a story, perhaps apocryphal, that Hef asked for the red screen to be 
printed heavier than usual to heighten the sensuality of the photo. Were 
we ever that young? In my twenty-first century eyes, June's lipstick 
borders on clown make-up.

June is an attractive to average looking woman. The centerfold does an 
excellent job of bringing out her strong points and downplaying the weak 
ones. Using her forearm as a bra seems utterly natural and artless. 
Placing her against the plain background of the sofa was also a good choice.

Photographer: Hal Adams

Scoring:
Pin-up: 2.0
Erotic: 1.0
Artistic: 1.5

Overall: 1.6

Cyber Club Portfolio Photo I like better than the Centerfold: #2

http://cyber.playboy.com/members/playmates/files/1957/01/centerfold.html
http://cyber.playboy.com/members/playmates/files/1957/01/02-lrg.html

Update:

Just to be clear, I think June's lipstick *borders* on being too much. 
Women wore heavier lipstick fifty years ago than they do now, and that 
style still has attraction. June's seems heavy to me, even within what 
was considered normal at that time.

Mark Tomlonson
Kalamazoo MI