Peep-Machine Pin-Ups: 1940s-1950s Mutoscope Art

by Don Preziosi

Machines called Mutoscopes offered quick shows for a penny from 1895 until as late as the 1970s, flipping cards to create the impression of a "moving picture." Associated with amusement piers and parks, and men's restrooms, these machines were notorious as proprietors of cheap peeps. During the 1940s, the International Mutoscope Reel Company began to manufacture coin-operated vending machines that served up 5-1/4" x 3-1/4"cards for collectors, usually of "pin-up" material. These cards are widely collected today, and a wonderful source of inspiring low-brow artwork. This comprehensive collection of more than 250 images includes work by noted artists Zoe Mozert, Earl Moran, and Gil Elvgren, among many other signed and unsigned, talented portrayors of the female form. A value guide will assist collectors.

Genres: Art

128 pages, Paperback

First published November 30, 2006

Reviews

[Molly · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice, brief history of pin-up cards designed for mutoscopes -- even a couple of Elvgren images I hadn't already seen, which was a pleasant surprise. The captions are sometimes cute, and other times hilariously bad (or at least real liberal with pronunciation for the sake of a joke).