Vaughan Alden Bass
Encyclopedia
Vaughan Alden Bass was an American
painter
of pin-up art.
Bass was a Chicago
artist who started his career working for the Louis F. Dow Company in St. Paul during the mid-1930s. Bass created his own pin-ups for Brown & Bigelow
, but he worked for Dow as a "paint over" artist, redoing work that other artists (notably Gil Elvgren
) had done for the company.
Bass' style was often compared with that of Elvgren, Al Buell
, and Joyce Ballantyne
. In the late 1950s, Bass did a series of wrestling scenes that demonstrated his comfort with any subject matter. He created the Wonder Bread Girl
in the 1950s. His portrait of President Dwight D. Eisenhower
is in the Smithsonian Institution
in Washington, D.C.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
painter
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
of pin-up art.
Bass was a Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
artist who started his career working for the Louis F. Dow Company in St. Paul during the mid-1930s. Bass created his own pin-ups for Brown & Bigelow
Brown & Bigelow
Brown & Bigelow is a publishing company based in Saint Paul, Minnesota that produces advertising specialties, or promotional products, such as clocks, pens, cocktail spoons with corkscrew and cap-lifter, and advertising calendars...
, but he worked for Dow as a "paint over" artist, redoing work that other artists (notably Gil Elvgren
Gil Elvgren
Gil Elvgren , born Gillette Elvgren, was an American painter of pin-up girls, advertising and illustration. Elvgren was one of the more important pin-up and glamour artists of the twentieth century. Today he is best known for his pin-up paintings for Brown & Bigelow...
) had done for the company.
Bass' style was often compared with that of Elvgren, Al Buell
Al Buell
Alfred Leslie Buell was an American painter of pin-up art. He was born in Hiawatha, Kansas in 1910, and grew up in Cushing, Oklahoma...
, and Joyce Ballantyne
Joyce Ballantyne
Joyce Ballantyne was a painter of pin-up art. She is best known as the designer of the Coppertone girl, whose swimming costume is being pulled down by a dog.-Early life and career:...
. In the late 1950s, Bass did a series of wrestling scenes that demonstrated his comfort with any subject matter. He created the Wonder Bread Girl
Wonder Bread
Wonder Bread is the name of three North American brands of white bread: One produced by George Weston Bakeries in Canada, another by Hostess Brands in the United States, and the third by Grupo Bimbo in Mexico.- United States :...
in the 1950s. His portrait of President Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...
is in the Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....