Bunny Yeager’s Darkroom: Pin-up Photography’s Golden Era

A treasure trove of pin-up girl images from photographer Bunny Yeager, celebrated for her playfully erotic photos of Bettie Page that continue to influence photography and fashion today. The only woman pin-up photographer of her day, Bunny Yeager was also a model in her own right. After winning several beauty pageants in Miami, Yeager went to photography school, and in 1955, she hit the jackpot with her shot of Bettie Page scantily clad in a Santa hat, which sold instantly to the fledgling Playboy magazine. The beginning of a long collaboration, her photographs of Bettie have now been featured on more magazine covers than those of Marilyn Monroe. This glamorous volume gathers more than a hundred lens-fogging photographs embodying the naughty girl-next-door eroticism of pin-up culture. Culled from Yeager's extensive archive, the collection includes her most iconic shots of the legendary Bettie as well as many previously unpublished images. Yeager's pioneering self-portraits and excerpts from her charming 1960s how-to manuals are featured alongside dozens of wholesome beauties shot in the studio and on location. A fun and sexy book, it is sure to tap into the current burlesque trend and the popularity of glamour photography and vintage American culture.

Petra Mason is a cultural historian and creative director whose East Coast-centric book credits include: Last Train to Paradise: Centennial edition, South Beach Stories, The Carlyle, In the Spirit of Miami Beach and New York. Photographic installations include: The Glass House Icon Project.