#352 - Flirt 1952 a Harrison magazine

Flirt, Volume 5, Number 4
Flirt Magazine, Inc. [Harrison]
New York, New York
August 1952

digital replica

In the 1940s and 1950s, Robert Harrison published "girlie" magazines on pulp paper with titles like Beauty Parade, Wink, Titter, and Eyeful. This issue of Flirt could just as well be titled Leg Parade as shapely gams in stockings and high heels abound here. The models include show girls, strippers and burlesque entertainers. Like burlesque presentations, the accent here is on jokes and gags, often involving puns. Some of the two-page layouts include comedians in baggy pants.

Except for the splendid Peter Driben painting on the cover, all photos are monochrome. To add color, regions of red ornament some pages. The ebook preserves this dubious feature. Most pages have been enlarged slightly.

Also of note are the advertisements. Ads for hair restoration products, drawing aids, denture repair, and all kinds of undergarments are clustered at the front and back of the magazine. The reader was encouraged to buy "novelty" books and movies, and training programs to learn hypnotism, how to be a detective, improve his physique and find faith. Irving Klaw advertised in Harrison magazines, but not in this one.

This issue is filled with photos of models in full-fashioned stockings, fishnets, garter belts, lingerie and high-heeled footwear. Every word and picture in the original is included in the ebook.

bonus

As a bonus, we add the Gene Bilbrew comic, “Madame Bizarre.” Probably from his 1960s Peerless oeuvre, it consists of eight full-size magazine pages. Like most Bilbrew comics, it is about a powerful woman who enjoys dominating those around her. On the first page, Mr. Bilbrew describes Madame Bizarre: “A bizarre and domineering personality, her odd beauty drew royalty and wealth to her feet all seeking a taste of her hypnotizing charms . . .”

The precise draftsmanship and voluptuous appeal of these illustrations show Mr. Bilbrew’s talent at its best.

One ebook, delivered by download from your 30th Street Graphics account.