Vintage 1950 ' S BETTIE PAGE 4x5 Pinup Fetish Photo With Rare IRVING KLAW Extra
Item History & Price
A vintage original 4x5 gelatin silver photograph of the amazing Bettie Page taken by Paula Klaw circa the the late 1940's to early 1950's and sold thru Irving Klaw's Movie Star News in New York City. This is an original early print from the original Klaw negative and not a modern copy.
This particular print was purchased from Paula Kramer, Irving Klaw's sister who ran Movie Star News after Irving's death (and who took most of the famous Klaw photos of Bettie Page and othe...r Klaw models), and was a "sample" photo from the store binders. While Klaw sold most of his photos via his mail order catalogs, one could also visit the Movie Star News store in NYC and select the photos you would like to purchase from the inventory by viewing the photos mounted in binders on the counters, then filling out a sheet with the photo numbers requested (in this case B.P. - 261), and a clerk would pull the requested prints from the alphabetically labelled steel filing cabinets which housed them (see photos in this listing of examples of the Movie Star News filing cabinets and their photo inventory). Prints from many of those binders were later sold by Paula Kramer in the 1990's. This print was mounted in one of those early binders and bears the residue of the cellophane tape used to attach them, and as such it is a rare, early print from Klaw's negative, circa the late 1940's to early 1950's.
In addition to the original Bettie Page print, included in the sale is an original pink file card from the Movie Star News file cabinets in NYC. The 6" x 4" heavy stock cards were used to identify and separate each photo by label and number in the files so that prints could be quickly found and gathered by the clerks. The card has date notations in pencil, possibly by Irving or Paula Kramer themselves, and may indicate when the stock of photos was last updated with new prints. Movie Star News and all the remaining inventory, file cabinets, etc. were auctioned off in 2012, and this card was purchased from a collector who had bought part of the collection. A very rare piece of fetish, pin-up history.
The vintage 4 x 5 inch photo has discoloration, a small area of loss of gloss on the top left corner, and residue from cellophane tape on the top and bottom corners, and a 1/4" tear on the top right corner - all due to being attached to and then removed from a binder. It is otherwise a sharp example of an early, original print from the original Klaw negative. Please see listing photo for accurate representation of condition. Sold as is.
I am happy to answer any questions you may have about this item. Please check out my other items. From a non-smoking home. Payment is due at time of purchase.
I do combine shipping charges for multiple purchases when I am able. Item will be shipped in the USA by USPS First Class Mail. For International buyers shipping will be by USPS First Class Package International Service. All mailings will include a tracking number and delivery confirmation. International buyers please note: Import duties, taxes, and charges aren't included in the item price or postage cost. These charges are the buyer's responsibility.
NOTE: Due to the current global pandemic there may be some delays by the mail carriers in the delivery of items, especially to international buyers. Please keep this in mind if you are making a purchase of any of my items. I apologize for the inconvenience.
Note on international shipping costs: Price of shipping is ACTUAL cost thru USPS. If the shipping calculation is wrong I will reimburse the buyer the difference. All mailings will include a tracking number and delivery confirmation. Thank you!
This particular print was purchased from Paula Kramer, Irving Klaw's sister who ran Movie Star News after Irving's death (and who took most of the famous Klaw photos of Bettie Page and othe...r Klaw models), and was a "sample" photo from the store binders. While Klaw sold most of his photos via his mail order catalogs, one could also visit the Movie Star News store in NYC and select the photos you would like to purchase from the inventory by viewing the photos mounted in binders on the counters, then filling out a sheet with the photo numbers requested (in this case B.P. - 261), and a clerk would pull the requested prints from the alphabetically labelled steel filing cabinets which housed them (see photos in this listing of examples of the Movie Star News filing cabinets and their photo inventory). Prints from many of those binders were later sold by Paula Kramer in the 1990's. This print was mounted in one of those early binders and bears the residue of the cellophane tape used to attach them, and as such it is a rare, early print from Klaw's negative, circa the late 1940's to early 1950's.
In addition to the original Bettie Page print, included in the sale is an original pink file card from the Movie Star News file cabinets in NYC. The 6" x 4" heavy stock cards were used to identify and separate each photo by label and number in the files so that prints could be quickly found and gathered by the clerks. The card has date notations in pencil, possibly by Irving or Paula Kramer themselves, and may indicate when the stock of photos was last updated with new prints. Movie Star News and all the remaining inventory, file cabinets, etc. were auctioned off in 2012, and this card was purchased from a collector who had bought part of the collection. A very rare piece of fetish, pin-up history.
The vintage 4 x 5 inch photo has discoloration, a small area of loss of gloss on the top left corner, and residue from cellophane tape on the top and bottom corners, and a 1/4" tear on the top right corner - all due to being attached to and then removed from a binder. It is otherwise a sharp example of an early, original print from the original Klaw negative. Please see listing photo for accurate representation of condition. Sold as is.
I am happy to answer any questions you may have about this item. Please check out my other items. From a non-smoking home. Payment is due at time of purchase.
I do combine shipping charges for multiple purchases when I am able. Item will be shipped in the USA by USPS First Class Mail. For International buyers shipping will be by USPS First Class Package International Service. All mailings will include a tracking number and delivery confirmation. International buyers please note: Import duties, taxes, and charges aren't included in the item price or postage cost. These charges are the buyer's responsibility.
NOTE: Due to the current global pandemic there may be some delays by the mail carriers in the delivery of items, especially to international buyers. Please keep this in mind if you are making a purchase of any of my items. I apologize for the inconvenience.
Note on international shipping costs: Price of shipping is ACTUAL cost thru USPS. If the shipping calculation is wrong I will reimburse the buyer the difference. All mailings will include a tracking number and delivery confirmation. Thank you!
