Six Mutoscope Cards Circa 1940

Moran, Earl; Elvgren, Gil; Mozert, Zoe

Published by Brown & Bigelow, St. Paul, MN, 1940

About this Item

St. Paul, MN: Brown & Bigelow, circa 1940's. Earl Moran, Gil Elvgren, Zoe Mozert (artists). Six vintage mutoscope cards, 5.25" x 3.25"; very, very near fine. Only sporadic magnifying-glass level wear; sharp, square, centered and brightly colored. See scan. The mutoscope cards of the forties were not actually intended for use on mutoscopes, which were machines from a much earlier era (invented in 1895) which provided "peep show" simulated motion picture entertainment via a process which rapidly flipped individual cards. The forties mutoscope cards, on the other hand, were "pin-up" art cards intended for individual collecting - something World War II G.I.s did avidly. With artwork by now-legendary "Good Girl" pin-up artists such as Earl Moran, Gil Elvgren, Zoe Mozert (probably the most famous female pin-up artist) and others, they've recently experienced a rather rapid revivial in collector interest. Besides Brown and Bigelow, Louis F. Dow and International Mutoscope Reel Company produced these exemplary examples of original Americana. There were 280 named cards in six series sets ("Glamor Girls" [32 cards], "Artist's Pin-up Girls" [64 cards], "Yankee Doodle Girls" [32 cards], "Follies" [32 cards], "All-American Girls" [32 cards] and "Hot'Cha Girls" [64 cards], but rare variations on some of the cards, still being discovered, add to the "completist" collector's list. The cards range from somewhat common to really quite rare. Cards included here are: "Miss-Placed Confidence" (Gil Elvgren, from the "All-American Girls" series, rated "Vary Rare"); "Thumb Fun, Eh, Kid?" (Earl Moran, "Artist Pin-up Girls" Series); "That's The Last Straw" (Zoe Mozert, "Artist Pin-up Girls" Series); "Inflation Control (Earl Moran, "Artist Pin-up Girls" Series); "Don't Try Any Pincer Movements On Me"; (Earl Moran, "Artist Pin-up Girls" Series); and "Visibility Perfect" (Earl Moran, "Artist Pin-up Girls" Series). Handsome, sharp, bright all around, but the extraordinarily scarce Elvgren card is the showpiece. Lsmeph. Seller Inventory # 000925

Bibliographic Details

Title: Six Mutoscope Cards Circa 1940

Publisher: Brown & Bigelow, St. Paul, MN

Publication Date: 1940

Binding: Soft cover

Illustrator: Moran, Earl; Elvgren, Gil; Mozert, Zoe

Condition: Near Fine

Edition: First Edition