Alfred Leslie Buell (1910–1996) was an American painter of pin-up art. He was born in

Hiawatha, Kansas Hiawatha (Chiwere language, Ioway: ''Hári Wáta'' pronounced ) is the largest city and county seat of Brown County, Kansas, Brown County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of the city was 3, ...

in 1910, and grew up in Cushing, Oklahoma. He attended some classes at the

Art Institute of Chicago The Art Institute of Chicago in Chicago's Grant Park, founded in 1879, is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the world. Recognized for its curatorial efforts and popularity among visitors, the museum hosts approximately 1.5 mill ...

, which, in concert with a trip to New York City, decided him on a career in art. In 1935, Buell and his wife moved to Chicago, Illinois, where he joined the Stevens/Hall/Biondi Studio. By 1940, he had opened his own studio. During this period, he did a number of pin-ups for the Gerlach-Barklow calendar company. Buell also did work for several other calendar companies in the early 1940s. During World War II, Buell was rejected by the draft, so he spent the war painting a variety of popular and patriotic pin-ups for Brown & Bigelow. After the war was over, he began contributing to

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's Gallery of Glamour. Buell returned to Brown & Bigelow in the late 1950s. He continued to paint glamour and pin-ups until about 1965, when he retired from commercial art. He remained active until he was injured in an accident in 1993, after which he remained in a nursing home until his death in 1996. Buell produced two calendars for Brown & Bigelow, the first in 1960 titled "Al Buell's Delectabelles" and the other in 1961 called "Al Buell's Beauties."

References

* ''The Great American Pin-Up'', by Charles G. Martignette and Louis K. Meisel, {{DEFAULTSORT:Buell, Al 1910 births 1996 deaths American illustrators Pin-up artists School of the Art Institute of Chicago alumni People from Hiawatha, Kansas People from Cushing, Oklahoma

See also

References