“Follies” Magazine Vol. 1, No. 1 (Nov. 1950) with a "Steffa" (Earl Moran) Cover.
Lot 404. “Follies” Magazine Vol. 1, No. 1 (Nov. 1950) with a "Steffa" (Earl Moran) Cover. During the 1930s, Earl Steffa Moran sold millions of his illustrations on Brown and Bigelow calendars. A 1940 “Life” magazine article featuring his artwork helped to transform him into a national celebrity. He helped to create the men’s magazine “Beauty Parade,” and his illustrations appeared in various other publications. After he moved to Hollywood in 1946, Marilyn Monroe became one of his models. She appreciated his work because she said his illustrations made her legs look better than they actually were; she thought her legs were too thin. Moran’s illustration is on the cover of this issue, which launched “Follies” magazine. Almost all of its 60 pages have black & white photos of pin-up models, including burlesque dancer Beth Powell, known for her “Spotted Cat” routine; Lili St. Cyr, one of burlesque’s most prominent performers; Christine Ayers, “The Body Beautiful”; Ellaine Hunter, the magazine’s Calendar Girl of the Month; and, in one pictorial, Hollywood stars Arlene Whelan, Ann Sheridan. Janis Paige, Joan Leslie and Lana Turner. Numerous other dancers and models appear in the magazine’s pictorials, including one on burlesque in Paris. Ex. Winning Bid $45.
