Artist Archives:
Patriotc Pin-ups
Pirates & Gypsy Girls
Swimsuit Sweeties
Indian Maidens
Playful Pin-Ups
Pin-Up Nudes II
Elvgren Girls I & II
Seaside Sweethearts [BELOW THE LINE]
Exotic Ladies [BELOW THE LINE]
Varga Girls I & II [BELOW THE LINE]
(1999 thru 2002 - Collectors Press)

The Artist Archives books are disappointing in having only 14 pin-up examples in each book. That, and two pages of introductory text by Max Allan Collins, is, in each case, the entire book. The reproduction quality is fine and this is probably a great format with which to pore over these paintings, but I'm one to want more than this. These works are all innocent, by today's standards, - occasional 'chaste' nudity and no salaciousness.

Patriotic Pin-Ups The artists found here are: Rolf Armstrong (3),Roy Best, Billy DeVorss (2), Freeman Elliott, Jules Erbit, Taber, Victor Tuechet, Jack Wittrup (3), and UNKNOWN ARTIST.

Pirates & Gypsy Girls The artists found here are: Forest H. Clough (2), Edward Eggleston (2), L. Goddard (2), Arthur L. Muscon, Gene Pressler (3) and UNKNOWN ARTIST (4).

Swimsuit Sweeties The artists found here are: Roy Best (2), Billy DeVorss (3), Jules Erbit (4), Art Frahm, Bill Medcalf, Zoë Mozert, Victor Tchetchet, Jack Wittrup (as John Shilling).

Indian Maidens One example of semi-nudity here, but characterizing most of these paintings as pin-ups would not be accurate. 'Pretty caucasian women in stereotypical costume-wear that were featured in vintage calendars' would be more like it . . . The artists found here are: James Arthur, Edward M. Eggleston, Fetterman, R. Atkinson Fox, F.R. Harper (3), Rudolph F. Ingerle, Homer Nelson, Charles Relyea (3), and UNKNOWN ARTIST (2)

Playful Pin-Ups Here, the word playful is meant as images capturing the 'unexpected' revealing of the leggy assets of our subjects. That scheme then gave the publishers an excuse to gather together a number of Art Frahm's her-panties-embarassingly-fell-to-her-ankles paintings to make up half the book. The artists found here are: Vaughan Bass, Al Brulé, Gil Elvgren (2)*, Art Frahm (8), Arthur Sarnoff, and UNKNOWN ARTIST

* - Note that Elvgren's 'well-presented'pieces here can additionally be found so in his own collections up on The List.

Pin-Up Nudes II In this one, the introduction posits that these should not really be considered any different from the nude figure studies produced by the masters, many of these using the same techniques as found in the classics because these practioners studied them no less than those that have been lauded as working in the 'fine art' genre. The artists found here are: Rolf Armstrong, Billy DeVorss, Gil Elvgren (2)**, Jules Erbit, Art Frahm, Mabel Rollins Harris, Earl MacPherson, Earl Moran, Zoë Mozert (2), K.O. Munson, Walt Otto, and Ted Williams.

** - Note that Elvgren's 'well-presented' pieces here cannot additionally be found so in his own collections on The List

Elvgren Girls I & II (As these two volumes focus on a single artist, they also get a duplicate solo entry on The List.) The Artist Archives books are disappointing in having only 14 pin-up examples in each book. That, and two pages of introductory text by Max Allan Collins, is, in each case, the entire book. The reproduction quality is fine and this is probably a great format with which to pore over these paintings, but I'm one to want more than this. Anyway, In each of these two ELVGREN GIRLS collections, a set of 14 paintings are all 'well-presented', as this site scores them. They are all innocent, by today's standards - no salaciousness, and even the one nude is set up as a gag. Taschen's THE LITTLE BOOK OF PIN-UP:ELVGREN scores as the best presentation of the artist's work, despite it's somewhat deminutive 5-x-7-inch size. If you have that volume, obviously all the repeats here will be 'bigger & better', but know that you will actually find ten new images in book I and 12 in book II !

Seaside Sweethearts [-BELOW THE LINE-] Again, with only 14 paintings, this book could not stay up on The List once two of them are discovered to be turned sideways. Know that a quarter of the ladies here like their beach outings au naturel. The 'well-presented' artists are: Henry Clive, Bille DeVorss, Gil Elvgren**, Jules Erbit, Mabel Rollins Harris (4), Earl Moran, Gene Pressler (2), Joseph Tomanek.

** - Note that Elvgren's 'well-presented' piece here cannot additionally be found so in his own collections on The List

Exotic Ladies [-BELOW THE LINE-] Again, with only 14 paintings, this book could not stay up on The List once two of them are discovered to be turned sideways. I'm going to go out on my amateur limb and speculate that the one artist that remains unknown here is actually L. Goddard, as it clearly seems to sport the color-tinted central figure that was the hallmark of the duo that produced their works under that pseudonym. The 'well-presented' artists are: Rolf Armstrong (2), Margaret Brundage*, Billy DeVorss (3), L. Goddard, G.C. Orde, Irene Patten, and Gene Pressler (3).

* - Note that Brundage's 'well-presented'piece here can additionally be found so in her own collection up on The List.

Varga Girls I & II [-BELOW THE LINE-] (As these two volumes focus on a single artist, they also get a duplicate solo entry on The List.) The Artist Archives books are disappointing in having only 14 pin-up examples in each book. That, and two pages of introductory text by Max Allan Collins, is, in each case, the entire book. The reproduction quality is fine and this is probably a great format with which to pore over these paintings, but I'm one to want more than this. Anyway, you can tell that these focus on the Esquire part of the Vargas works (because the publisher persuaded him to style his name as 'Varga' during that time). Both fall 'Below The Line' here because in each of these two collections, only some of the 14 paintings are 'well-presented', as this site scores them, because the longer works have been turned sideways (five in vol 1 & six in vol 2), so there's just not enough correctly-oriented ones left to make it up onto The List. Know that neither of these two volumes include anything not found in the Vargas books up on The List.