untitled (gatefold)

Alberto Vargas, artist

1896–1982

untitled (gatefold), circa 1941

Portfolio/Series title: published in Esquire magazine, May 1941

Where object was made: United States

Material/technique: illustration board; pencil; watercolor

Dimensions:
Sheet/Paper Dimensions (Height x Width): 66 x 99.5 cm
Sheet/Paper Dimensions (Height x Width): 26 x 39 3/16 in
Mat Dimensions (Height x Width): 32 x 45 in

Credit line: Gift of Esquire, Inc.

Accession number: 1980.0530

Not on display

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Images

Label texts

Exhibition Label:
"Alberto Vargas: The Esquire Pinups," Sep-2001, Stephen Goddard, Maria Buszek
This curious image of a woman in pilgrim’s garb and a Latin woman with a guitar may have referred to President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s 1933 Good Neighbor Policy. This policy, which may have had special significance for Peruvian-born Vargas, laid the groundwork for Latin American solidarity with the Allies during the Second World War. By the time this gatefold appeared, there was already an air of inevitability about U.S. involvement in the war. Seven months later, on December 11, 1941 (just after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor), the United States declared war on Germany and Italy. The U.S. was joined by Costa Rica, Cuba, the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua, all of which declared war on Germany.