Did you know that the original model for the bare-assed Coppertone Ads is now 48 and living in Ocala? Her mom, the artist Joyce Ballantyne Brand, named her Cheri. Now you know the name of the Coppertone Babeh.
Insert audible sigh here: Joyce Ballantyne left space station Earth yesterday.
I think she was the last living ‘classic’ pinup artist after more recognizable names like Gil Elvgren and Alberto Vargas had been long gone. She lived about 70 miles north of me, too. Let’s talk more about wasted opportunities later, though.
So here’s an article by Jeff Klinkenberg of the St. Pete Times that was hammered out back in 2004. It might bring you closer to the soul of the pinup scene or it might just be a waste of your time. Give it a scan, anyway.
