Zoë Mozert (; April 27, 1907 – February 1, 1993), born Alice Adelaide Moser, was an American illustrator. She was also known as one of the early 20th century's most famous

pin-up artists This is a list of notable artists who work primarily in the medium of the pin-up. {{compact ToC , center=yes , side=yes , i=I, u=U, x=X, z=Z , seealso=yes , nobreak=yes A * Arnold Armitage * Rolf Armstrong * Aslan B * Joyce Ballantyne * McC ...

and models.

Career

In 1925 Mozert entered the

Pennsylvania Museum School of Industrial Art Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, Mar ...

where she studied under

Thornton Oakley Thornton Oakley (March 27, 1881 – April 4, 1953) was an American artist and illustrator. Biography Thornton Oakley was born on Sunday, March 27, 1881, in Pittsburgh. He was the son of John Milton Oakley and Imogen Brashear Oakley. He gradua ...

, a former student of

Howard Pyle Howard Pyle (March 5, 1853 – November 9, 1911) was an American illustrator and author, primarily of books for young people. He was a native of Wilmington, Delaware, and he spent the last year of his life in Florence, Italy. In 1894, he began ...

, and modeled to raise money for tuition. During her career, Mozert painted hundreds of magazine covers and movie posters. She frequently was her own model, using cameras or mirrors to capture the pose. Her paintings are best known for their pastel style and realistic depiction of women. In 1941, publishers

Brown & Bigelow Brown & Bigelow is a company based in Saint Paul, Minnesota, that sells branded apparel and promotional merchandise. History The company was founded in 1896 by Herbert Huse Bigelow and Hiram Brown. On June 24, 1924, Bigelow was convicted fo ...

bought Mozert's first nude and signed her to an exclusive calendar contract. During World War II, her pin-up series for the company, called ''Victory Girls'', was published both in calendar and mutoscope-card form. In 1946, Mozert created the publicity poster for Republic Pictures' ''Calendar Girl'', a movie about the

Gibson Girl The Gibson Girl was the personification of the feminine ideal of physical attractiveness as portrayed by the pen-and-ink illustrations of artist Charles Dana Gibson during a 20-year period that spanned the late 19th and early 20th centuries in th ...

. That same year, she painted the pinups for the

Errol Flynn Errol Leslie Thomson Flynn (20 June 1909 – 14 October 1959) was an Australian-American actor who achieved worldwide fame during the Golden Age of Hollywood. He was known for his romantic swashbuckler roles, frequent partnerships with Olivia ...

comedy ''Never Say Goodbye,'' in which Flynn played a pinup artist. (She also created the illustrations shown in the movie's opening credits.) By 1950, Mozert had become one of the "big four" illustrators nationally, along with

Rolf Armstrong Rolf Armstrong (April 21, 1889 – February 22, 1960) was an American commercial artist specializing in glamorous depictions of female subjects. He is best known for his magazine covers and calendar art. In 1960 the New York Times dubbed him th ...

, Earl Moran and

Gil Elvgren Gillette Elvgren (March 15, 1914 – February 29, 1980) was an American painter of pin-up girls, advertising and illustration. Best known for his pin-up paintings for Brown & Bigelow, Elvgren studied at the American Academy of Art. He ...

. Some of Mozert's most famous works include the poster for

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...

' ''

True Confession ''True Confession'' is a 1937 American screwball comedy film directed by Wesley Ruggles and starring Carole Lombard, Fred MacMurray, and John Barrymore. It was based on the 1934 play ''Mon Crime'', written by Georges Berr and Louis Verneuil. In ...

'' starring

Carole Lombard Carole Lombard (born Jane Alice Peters; October 6, 1908 – January 16, 1942) was an American actress, particularly noted for her energetic, often off-beat roles in screwball comedies. In 1999, the American Film Institute ranked Lombard 2 ...

, the poster for the

Howard Hughes Howard Robard Hughes Jr. (December 24, 1905 – April 5, 1976) was an American business magnate, record-setting pilot, engineer, film producer, and philanthropist, known during his lifetime as one of the most influential and richest people in th ...

film ''

The Outlaw ''The Outlaw'' is a 1943 American Western film, directed by Howard Hughes and starring Jack Buetel, Jane Russell, Thomas Mitchell, and Walter Huston. Hughes also produced the film, while Howard Hawks served as an uncredited co-director. The f ...

'' with

Jane Russell Ernestine Jane Geraldine Russell (June 21, 1921 – February 28, 2011) was an American actress, singer, and model. She was one of Hollywood's leading sex symbols in the 1940s and 1950s. She starred in more than 20 films. Russell moved from th ...

, and, her most popular image, ''Song of the Desert'' (1950). Radio Mirror, December 1934.jpg ,

Rudy Vallee Rudy or Rudi is a masculine given name, sometimes short for Rudolf, Rudolph, Rawad, Rudra, Ruairidh, or variations thereof, a nickname and a surname which may refer to: People Given name or nickname *Rudolf Rudy Andeweg (born 1952), Dutch poli ...

on the cover of '' Radio Mirror'', December 1934, credited as A Mozert Radio Mirror, July 1935.jpg ,

Dick Powell Richard Ewing Powell (November 14, 1904 – January 2, 1963) was an American actor, musician, producer, director, and studio head. Though he came to stardom as a musical comedy performer, he showed versatility, and successfully transformed into ...

on the cover of '' Radio Mirror'', July 1935, credited as A Mozert "I Must Learn Where to Draw the Line" (edited).jpg , ''"I Must Learn Where to Draw the Line"'', 1940s Mutoscope card A Run on Sugar (edited).jpg , ''A Run on Sugar'', 1940s Mutoscope card Pursuit Type (edited).jpg , ''Pursuit Type'', 1940s Mutoscope card

References

External links

Zoe Mozert artwork
American Art Archives website

Pulp Artists website {{DEFAULTSORT:Mozert, Zoe 1907 births 1993 deaths Pin-up artists American women illustrators American illustrators Artists from Colorado Springs, Colorado 20th-century American women artists

Career

See also

References

External links