More than a decade ago, I ran into a blog with an article about some dubious '“dirty” (in the tame, mid 20’th century sense) graphic artist who drew big & pointy-breasted women in ostensibly routine public settings (getting on a bus, crossing a street, and the like), with one rather odd additional feature.
These “erotic” illustrations showed these women suffering various peculiar undergarment failures – panties dropping off under skirts and that kind of ludicrous impossibilities, all of which clearly violated even the most basic laws of physics. This transformed these drawings from the sexy (which is what the artist obviously intended and considered them to be) into the silly. Out-and-out hilarious!
Does anyone know this (probably long-deceased) artist’s name? And perhaps links to a gallery of some of his “contributions”?
Frahm had either an endorsement deal with, or a thinly veiled vendetta against, the celery growers’ trade group.
I do guess we’d expect that regardless of elastic failure, to drop all the way down to the ankles like that the entirety of both legs would have to be straight down vertical, and they often clearly are not.
The moment I read the title of this thread, I knew that the OP was talking about Art Frahm, as I’d seen that entry on James Lileks’ website probably 15 years ago.
That’s an interesting combination of just risque (especially with the “oops I did it again” facial expression) to be a pinup and just arty enough to look like a Norman Rockwell.
Also, upon reading his name, I had to look check to see if he was the Sausage King of Chicago. Close, but no.
Possible. Art Frahm’s work dates from at least the forties 9although his “falling panties” art may only go back to the 1950s). The Coppertone ad with the little girl dates from 1953.
My favorites Frahm-influenced image is the last one on this page of Lilek’s run – clearly influenced by Lilek’s own commentary, because all she has is that damned celery
There’s a 1949 ad on this page that predates Coppertone. It could have inspired Frahm.
And the Art Frahm page on the Pin-Up Files dates several of those pictures pre-1953. The earliest is dated 1950 so there may be a direct connection to the 1949 image.
The original art for the expired meter picture sold at auction for $23,900!
