untitled (gatefold), Alberto Vargas

Artwork Overview

Alberto Vargas, untitled (gatefold)
Alberto Vargas, untitled (gatefold)
Alberto Vargas
untitled (gatefold)
circa 1941
Alberto Vargas, artist
1896–1982
untitled (gatefold), circa 1941
Portfolio/Series title: published in Esquire magazine, November 1941
Where object was made: United States
Material/technique: watercolor; illustration board
Dimensions:
Image Dimensions Height/Width (Height x Width): 75.9 x 55.6 cm
Image Dimensions Height/Width (Height x Width): 29 7/8 x 21 7/8 in
Mat Dimensions (Height x Width): 32 x 24 in
Credit line: Gift of Esquire, Inc.
Accession number: 1980.0535
Not on display
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Images

Label texts

Exhibition Label:
"Alberto Vargas: The Esquire Pinups," Sep-2001, Stephen Goddard, Maria Buszek
This gatefold became famous as the “six-fingered Varga Girl.” Esquire’s readers noted the mistake and were quick to point it out. For example, a student at Skidmore College wrote the following:

My dear Mr. Varga,
While making a copy of the patriotic miss you did for the November issue of Esquire, I noticed that she has five fingers on her right hand-not including her thumb. Isn’t this a bit unusual? I am an Art major here at Skidmore and the sight of the surplus finger actually did something to my aesthetic soul.

Would you please send me the name of your Model? We might like to have her pose for some of our life classes here-we get so tired of the same old thing.

Vargas quipped in his reply, “This was a stunt to test reader observation and reaction.”

Exhibitions

Alberto Vargas: The Esquire Pinups
Maria Buszek, curator
Stephen Goddard, curator
2001