untitled (back cover)

Alberto Vargas, artist

1896–1982

untitled (back cover), circa 1945

Portfolio/Series title: published in Esquire magazine, Military edition, February 1945

Where object was made: United States

Material/technique: airbrushing; watercolor

Dimensions:
Image Dimensions Height/Width (Height x Width): 53.9 x 75.3 cm
Image Dimensions Height/Width (Height x Width): 21 1/4 x 29 5/8 in
Mat Dimensions (Height x Width): 24 x 32 in

Credit line: Gift of Esquire, Inc.

Accession number: 1980.0663

Not on display

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Label texts

Exhibition Label:
"Alberto Vargas: The Esquire Pinups," Sep-2001, Stephen Goddard, Maria Buszek
The letter in the harmonica player’s hand and the verse that appeared in the military issue of Esquire allude to V-Mail, the streamlined means of sending mail to soldiers in the field. V-Mail was composed on special forms that were sent in a photographic format overseas. They were then printed and distributed. An advertisement claimed that 1,700 V-Mail letters could fit in a cigarette packet, reducing the weight of the letters in paper form by 98%.