Burlesque Venus: Happy birthday Tempest Storm

Nice muff

It must be curious being born on 29th February but that is the case for burlesque legend Tempest Storm who was born on this day in 1928.

Tempest shows off her 21 inch waist

Born Annie Blanche Banks (she later changed her name legally to Tempest Storm) in Georgia she had already been married and divorced twice by the time she was twenty.  Heading to California, at the age of 22, she worked as a cocktail waitress and then a chorus girl before her 40-21-38 figure saw her ride the tail end of the burlesque era as one of its last great performers.  In fact she is the last great performer as she was still appearing in Las Vegas shows as recently as 2010 at the age of eighty two!

Rumoured to have had associations with John F Kennedy, Sammy Davis Jr and Elvis Presley, she married another two times.  She had her impressive bust insured for $1 million by Lloyd's of London in the nineteen fifties.  She was always part of the burlesque tradition that left something to the imagination and famously walked out of the Raymond Revuebar in London when she saw that the other dancers didn't wear g-strings.

So, happy 21st birthday Tempest!

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Showgirl Venuses 1: Folies Bergere by Alain Aslan

Agent Triple P appreciates a good showgirl, those be-sequinned, feather-plumed examples of statuesque loveliness that decorate the stages of Paris, Las Vegas and elsewhere, bringing glamour and style (as well as the ability to support often very big headresses) to brighten our lives.

What better way to start this series than with two examples by French artist Alain Aslan for the Folies Bergère.  This famous Parisian music hall was founded in 1869 with a design based on the Alhambra in London.  Unlike the Alhambra, which was demolished in 1936 to make way for the famous Odeon Leicester Square cinema, the Folies Bergère still exists and still puts on shows.

Its future, however, was not looking so bright back in 1974 when former Folies showgirl Hélène Martini took over the direction of the place and ensured its continuation to the present day.  The fact that these posters have Martini's name on them helps us to date them.  We believe that at least one, if not both, are from 1977.

Alain Aslan (b 1930) is probably France's greatest pin-up artist famous not only for his paintings for Lui and Oui magazines but also his sculptures of French national icons.  Currently living and working in Quebec, Canada, we will look at his work more extensively in the future.

One interesting conceit of these pictures is that whilst the feathers immediately say "Showgirl" they are, in fact, just an abstracted background design and not part of her costume.

You have read this article French Venuses / painting / pin-up venuses / Showgirls / twentieth century venuses with the title Showgirls. You can bookmark this page URL http://amandanamoradinha.blogspot.com/2011/11/showgirl-venuses-1-folies-bergere-by.html. Thanks!