Alberto Vargas and the Esquire Pinups
Introduction and acknowledgements – Notes
1. 16,000 and 40,000 have appeared in print as estimates of the size of the Esquire Collection at the University of Kansas. The larger number is an estimate of the complete holdings including drawings, photographs, negatives and ektachromes.
2. Personal interview with Professor Emeritus Lee Young. See also Susana Namnum, "Resurrected Images," Kansas Alumni Magazine, Fall 1981, pp. 8-16, expands on the choice of the University of Kansas as a repository "KU was selected as recipient, [Professor Young] said, because of its prominent collection of first editions and rare issues of magazines and its unique role as official repository for the Magazine Publishers Association."
3. This process was undertaken under the direction of museum director, Charles Eldredge, with the effort headed out by curator of photography, Tom Southall. Curator of print and drawings, Elizabeth Broun was also involved, the logistical work and cataloging was undertaken by student research assistant, John Porter, and additional help from exhibition designer, Mark Roeyer. I thank Roeyer for sharing his recollections of this episode.
4. See Maria Elena Buszek’s essay for a fuller account of Vargas’ career.
5. Cecilia Rasmussin, "Vargas’ Pinups Inspired Gis, Became Icons of U.S. Culture," The Los Angeles Times, June 25, 2000.
6. Esquire, March 1944 (21 no. 3) p. 10.
7. Lou Harbor, "The Saga of a Lost and Found Varga Calendar," typescript document.
8. Alberto Vargas and Reid Austin, Vargas, New York, 1978, pp. 42-44 discusses the lawsuits. Among the many details buried in these lawsuits is Vargas’ indication that he came to the United States in order to learn English, having already mastered Spanish, French and German.
9. Another instance of the Varga Girls appearing stateside in a military context recently surfaced recently when demolition at Fort Carson, Colorado, uncovered a wall covered with a variety of pin-ups including movie stars and Varga Girls. John Diedrich, "Uncovering Fort Carson," Gazette Telegraph (Colorado Springs, July 31, 2000): section A1 and A6. I thank Barbara Coleman for bringing this to my attention, and for identifying a Varga Girl amidst the pin-ups.
10. Jeffrey Ressner, "Jeanne Dean: the Vargas Girl Comes to Life," Airbrush in Action (March-April, 1988 pp. 34-35). I thank Edward Reed for bringing this article to my attention.
11. By February, 1949, Monte Proser was planning to produce a movie about the Varga Girl, but Alfred Smart threatened a lawsuit if he used either the Varga Girl name, or the images.
12. "Oh, Where Is Varga Girl? Asks Rogers," an article in a United Artists newsletter, United Action 1 no. 21 (December 1, 1944), cribs from this press release and indicates that the plan for a Varga Girl movie was still alive late in 1944.
13. Jack Moffitt, That Varga Girl (typescript, Spencer Museum of Art), p. 63.
14. Jack Moffitt, That Varga Girl (typescript, Spencer Museum of Art), p. 36.
15. Jack Moffitt, That Varga Girl (typescript, Spencer Museum of Art), p. 84.
16. I thank Jim Hartley and Astrid Conte Vargas for sharing this information with me.
17. I thank Vallie Pettersen, Vice President of Paasche Airbrush, for bringing this information to my attention. The "Fact Sheet" is dated "April 22 to May 1." "1955" is pencilled on the sheet and appears to be the date of the hobby show.
18. The last is a quote from Simon Worman taken from an article by Megan Maciejowski, "Essentially Esquire," Kansas Alumni no. 3 (1999), pp. 25-29, p. 28. Simon has expressed the same sentiment while examining the works in the museum.
19. Alberto Vargas and Reid Austin, Vargas, New York, 1978, pp. 126-27.
20. Alberto Vargas and Reid Austin, Vargas, New York, 1978, p. 127.
21. Alberto Vargas and Reid Austin, Vargas, New York, 1978, p. 127.
22. I thank airbrush artist Edward Reed for sharing this information with me.
23. I thank Vallie Pettersen of Paasche Aibrush for this information.
24. Alberto Vargas and Reid Austin, Vargas, New York, 1978, p. 127.
