George Petty - Famous Pin-Up Girl Artist

Artist George Petty produced some of the most iconic pin-up images of the glamour girl era. Petty's art has been featured in popular publications like Esquire, True, Life, and the Marshall Field's catalog. The artist became synonymous with his most well known work “The Petty Girl”, first introduced in 1933. With the Petty Girl images, Petty captured a feminine ideal that was so popular with war time soldiers; a musical called The Petty Girl went to the silver screen in 1950. Some of Petty's other popular images could be seen on billboards, newspaper ads, and even the nose art of World War II war planes, including the world renowned fighter jet, the Memphis Belle.

Born George Brown Petty IV in April 1894, the artist and his family relocated from Abbeville, Louisiana to Chicago, Illinois when Petty was still a young boy. Petty showed artistic talent at an early age and taught art courses at the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts while still in high school. He further fine tuned his skills by working in his father's photography studio during summers and after school. Upon graduation, Petty studied at the acclaimed Académie Julien in Paris, France until his return to the U.S. in 1916. Soon after his homecoming, Petty embarked upon a career as a successful freelance illustrator and married in 1918. Petty's wife would serve as the inspiration for the first Petty Girl.

Petty was known not only for his iconic images, but also for his larger than life size personality. The artist was an outdoorsy man's man who enjoyed going on safaris and hunting for big game, and judged the Miss America pageant for over a decade. His relationship with Esquire ended when the magazine claimed Petty was demanding too much for his now famous Petty images. The monthly publication would go on to hire the first of many Petty imitators to fill the void left when Petty departed. However, Petty's work still lives on today. Petty Girls continue to be popular tattoo art, and art collectors pay top dollar for Petty's work. Authentic Petty pieces have gathered upwards of $15,000, and continue to gain in value.

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