1950s

Step back into the 1950s, a decade captured in vivid vintage photography, classic pinup poses, and mid‑century fashion. This collection preserves authentic slides and snapshots of everyday life, from California landscapes and vintage cars to military scenes and beauty contests. Explore how post‑war optimism, evolving beauty standards, and advertising shaped the era’s style and culture. Each image offers a nostalgic window into 1950s history, modeling trends, and the golden age of American glamour.

Vintage car advertisements: Apperson, Chandler, Buick, and Caddillac

Automobile Ads Scrapbook, Misc. Ephemera

Early 1900s car advertisements for Chandler Motors, Cadillac, Buick, and Apperson. Illustrated with details about the Chandler automobile.

The future of the pinup model

CheeseCake Pinup Magazine 1953, Old Magazine Scans

Where was modeling going in the 1950s, and what would future fashion trends hold? The main point of this article seemed to point out the sheer diversity of pinup models and beautiful women. An interesting picture was one of Rita Hayworth without makeup, and then made up. One of her movies, “An Affair in Trinidad”, was chosen by the National Photographers Association as “the sexiest and most provocative motion picture still ever made”.

History of the Covergirl pinup model

CheeseCake Pinup Magazine 1953, Old Magazine Scans

By the early 1950s, beauty and publicity had become almost ridiculous, as evidenced by the crowning of Potato Queens (Marilyn Monroe), National Soybean Queen (and Miss Missouri), Sourkraut Queen, Queen Pickle.

A brief history of Women in Sports

CheeseCake Pinup Magazine 1953, Old Magazine Scans

This first article about the history of women in sports seems to claim that women are 2 inches taller (in 1953) than they were in 1850 because they’re free to exercise and play sports!

Cheesecake Pinup Pics in Daisy Duke Short Shorts

Vintage Styling & Photography

i transformed model June Ann into a 1950s greaser girl for this playful cheesecake pinup photoshoot, complete with Daisy Duke short shorts and a striking red vintage car. Drawing inspiration from midcentury pinup culture, the styling paid homage to icons like Bettie Page while adding a cheeky modern twist. From dramatic cleavage (thanks to a borrowed bra!) to the vibrant palette and playful poses, this shoot captures the rebellious spirit of vintage pinup charm.

Happy July 4th!

Old Slide Scans

To celebrate Independence Day, I'm posting this picture circa 1959 of AirForce women and men in uniform. If anyone can tell me anything more about the badge (picture enlarged below), I would totally appreciate it. I don't know that much about...

16mm home video film about The San Diego Zoo in the 1950s

16mm Film, Misc. Ephemera

This was my first time attempting to digitize film with my iPhone and run a 16mm film projector. To test it, I bought the cheapest 16mm film that I could, which was labeled “16mm Film – Car Stunt Driving San Diego Zoo 1950s? Found Footage Incredible Rare”. Enjoy this old zoo and family vacation film footage, and let me know any info in the comments… or tips on running a 16mm projector and digitizing the films (I’ve since bought another one, a vintage Bell and Howell Specialist 550 Filmosound projector).

History of Women’s Swimwear and Sports Fashions

CheeseCake Pinup Magazine 1953, Old Magazine Scans

This article claims that Annette Kellerman was groundbreaking in making more practical swimwear acceptable… and did you know that shorts for women were invented in the 1930s?

A brief history of women in sports, part II

CheeseCake Pinup Magazine 1953, Old Magazine Scans

The article covers women’s baseball with interesting pictures showing women’s baseball teams from World War I and the 1950s (including pictures of Ruth Engle and Doris Sams), and also pictures of figure skaters and golfers to contrast fashion trends of the first part of the 20th century.

The evolution of chorus girls and showing skin on stage

CheeseCake Pinup Magazine 1953, Old Magazine Scans

These next few pages of old pictures are a history of chorus girls and showing skin on stage, from Can Can girls, to to Mae West, to the Zigfield Follies, and the Rockettes.

Pinups on billboards, book covers, and record covers.

CheeseCake Pinup Magazine 1953, Old Magazine Scans

Here’s an interesting history of pinups in advertising! Showing pictures of billboards from the 1800s-1950s, with a focus on pretty girls in beer advertisements.

The next page shows samples of pretty women used to advertise books and, the latest thing, record album covers. Even classical music “moves off the shelves” faster when an attractive woman is pictured on it!

Pretty Girls Sold Tobacco – tobacco advertisements used pinups

CheeseCake Pinup Magazine 1953, Old Magazine Scans

Here’s an intriguing look into the history of how tobacco advertisements used glamorous pinup models and women to market cigarettes. From the rise of Turkish cigarettes in the early 1900s to the post-war pinup culture of the 1950s, cigarette brands cleverly broke societal taboos and redefined smoking as glamorous and sophisticated. Discover how Chesterfield, Marlboro, and Camel pioneered strategies that linked cigarettes with freedom, beauty, and modernity, capturing the cultural shifts of each era.

How to sell shirts and bed sheets with Cheesecake Pinups

CheeseCake Pinup Magazine 1953, Old Magazine Scans

Here is illustrated how two marketing companies used cheesecake pinup, double entendre, and sexual innuendo to sell mens shirts and bed sheets.

A bit of St. Louis Beer History and various 1940s Advertisements

Misc. Ephemera, St. Louis Municipal Opera 1943

4 more pages of scans from the St. Louis Municipal Opera 1943 season. These include WWII-era ads for Hyde Park Beer, Coca Cola, Tums, and Kieffer Cleaners. The cleaners advertisement has prices listed, which I think is pretty interesting.

Corset and shapewear advertising history

CheeseCake Pinup Magazine 1953, Old Magazine Scans

Advertising to women, often by showcasing attractive women, has always been a fascinating part of history. Explore the evolution of corset and shapewear ads, from Warner Brothers Coraline Corsets in the 1880s, Gilda Grey’s 1923 fat-reducing cream, and Gypsy Rose Lee’s electric shaver endorsement, to the sleek 1950s girdles designed to create a flawless silhouette. These vintage ads showcase cultural shifts in beauty standards and women’s fashion through time.

Pinups in Action Can Draw Clients As Well As Patrons

CheeseCake Pinup Magazine 1953, Old Magazine Scans

Pinups thru out history have been used to sell everything from cosmetics to real estate. Sometimes, they had their origins in the scandalous worlds of peepshows and erotica. The scandalous Gilda Grey, famous for popularizing The Shimmy with her signature song The Shimmy Shewabble, helped sell a reducing cream in 1923. In 1925 she did the shimmy after a meeting to interest buyers in buying Coral Gables properties in Florida. The Shimmy, for which Gilda Grey was famous for, reportedly could be danced properly only with great difficulty and was considered primarily an exhibition dance. Similarly, the Cat Dance by Lilly Christine, had its origins in the realms of peepshows, but she crossed over into mainstream pinup model popularity and helped sell products.

The Florodora Girls & Other Musical Comedy pinup Stars

CheeseCake Pinup Magazine 1953, Old Magazine Scans

“Today’s musical comedy stars replace the Grecian bend of The Florodora Girls with abandon, and little else” reads the headline. It mentioned the famous gals who have come from the anonymity of chorus lines, including: Eva Tanguay, Ann Held, Bebe Daniels, Ruby Keeler, Barbara Stanwyck, and Lucille Ball.

Movie Vamps Have Been Pinups

CheeseCake Pinup Magazine 1953, Old Magazine Scans

This article discusses how Hollywood press agents can create a national pinup sensation thru posting daringly sensual photos in select magazines. As examples, they point out Theda Bara in the first part of the 20th century, and the “modern” sensation Roberta Haynes.

Art Studies 100 Years Ago Were as Daring as Today’s

CheeseCake Pinup Magazine 1953, Old Magazine Scans

Take a fascinating look back at the daring evolution of art and nude photography, as highlighted in a 1953 Cheesecake Pinup Magazine. With insights on Louis Daguerre’s pioneering work from 1839, provocative photos from the 1870s, and Jules Alexander’s surreal modern masterpieces of the 1950s, this post explores how figure photography blended tradition with innovation over the decades. Discover the rich history connecting 19th-century figure studies to mid-20th-century cheesecake art!

History of the influence of burlesque on pinup

CheeseCake Pinup Magazine 1953, Old Magazine Scans

Burlesque has provided men with a variety of entertaining pinups. Notably, Ida Bayton’s white violin act in “The Taxi Girls” in 1914, and Lili St. Cyr’s bubble bath striptease that helped land her in 3D movies.