SCHEER MONROE

So I found these awesome leopardskin drapes on sale. What do you think? Too much?

The incomparable Marilyn Monroe, wearing see-though lingerie, stars on the above Technicolor lithograph titled “Vivacious Marilyn.” The image was originally shot by acclaimed Hungarian lensman Laszlo Willinger in 1947. Most sources say 1949, but we can confirm 1947 because we’ve seen another frame from this leopard series used on a 1947 Sunoco calendar. However, the above lithograph wasn’t printed until 1955, when the negative fell into the hands of the good people at A. Scheer Co. and they said, “She’s sheer! We’re Scheer! It’s a match made in heaven!” A. Scheer made another print of one of Willinger’s other famed Monroe images which we’ll show you a bit later. In the meantime, we offer the bonus image of Monroe on the phone for no reason at all. You can see more lithos of Hollywood’s greatest star wearing assorted bits of almost nothing here.

I don't care what kind of bathing suit you paint—just make her look hot.

We’re guessing some underpaid artist was tasked with painting a bikini atop Diane Webber’s nude body, and after the acid kicked in he produced this concept that looks like all her naughty bits are on fire. Luckily it’s just an acetate overlay, and you lift the top layer to get original Webber in her altogether, at right. If it looks familiar that’s because we showed you this exact print in August without the overlay as an A. Scheer pin-up, and as part of a drive-in calendar. So we’ve pretty much milked this image for all it’s worth. We’ve also shown you a few other overlays, for instance here and here, and noted that we think the practice began with the déshabillables of the French magazine Paris-Hollywood. All those other examples are nice, but for pure weirdness this one wins.

This is the second time a warm front like this has passed through.


You may be thinking we already showed you this Diane Webber Technicolor lithograph, but nope. While it is almost identical at first glance, and Webber is even posing for the same company—A. Scheer—it’s a completely different photo shot in a different place at a different time. Don’t believe us? Compare and contrast here.

Diane Webber brings a bit of warmth to winter in Baltimore.

Today’s Technicolor lithograph features a recognizable figure for once—the much adored Diane Webber, a California born model, dancer, and actress who was also known as Marguerite Empey and became one of the most important fixtures of the 1950s and 1960s nudist magazine scene. You can see a few examples of those here. Webber was also a two-time Playboy centerfold under her Empey persona, in May 1955 and February 1956. We’ve mentioned before that the blank spaces at the tops of these Technicolor prints were made for the insertion of advertising, and at right you see how that worked with a calendar for a Baltimore, Maryland establishment called Stanley’s Drive-In. The original image came from the A. Scheer Company, was called Exclusively Yours, and appeared in 1955. The calendar came out in the winter of 1958.

Her motives are transparent.

The last Technicolor lithograph we posted remains unidentified, so here’s another mystery we’re throwing to the readership—who is the above model? The print comes from A. Scheer and was produced around 1950. It’s entitled “Playmate,” but as it pre-dates Playboy it isn’t referring to that magazine. We’re stumped, as we often are with these items. However, a couple have been identified for us by readers, such as this one and this one. Okay, everybody—super identification powers… activate!

Edit: We figured it out all by ourselves. This is Virginia De Lee, who we first identified at this post containing two more lithos. Follow the link there and you can see another three. Or maybe we’ll link you ourselves. Here you go.

The lesson here is to always remember to bring a beach chair.

These two summery Technicolor lithographs featuring unknown models on uncomfortable perches were made in the mid-1950s. The first is called “Queen of the Surf” and the second is “Beach Beauty” (showcasing the always lovely summer headscarf look), both from the A. Scheer Company.

Edit 2022: The second model is now identified as U.S. actress Vera Miles.

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HISTORY REWIND

The headlines that mattered yesteryear.

1959—Dark Side of Moon Revealed

The Soviet space probe Luna 3 transmits the first photographs of the far side of the moon. The photos generate great interest, and scientists are surprised to see mountainous terrain, very different from the near side, and only two seas, which the Soviets name Mare Moscovrae (Sea of Moscow) and Mare Desiderii (Sea of Desire).

1966—LSD Declared Illegal in U.S.

LSD, which was originally synthesized by a Swiss doctor and was later secretly used by the CIA on military personnel, prostitutes, the mentally ill, and members of the general public in a project code named MKULTRA, is designated a controlled substance in the United States.

1945—Hollywood Black Friday

A six month strike by Hollywood set decorators becomes a riot at the gates of Warner Brothers Studios when strikers and replacement workers clash. The event helps bring about the passage of the Taft-Hartley Act, which, among other things, prohibits unions from contributing to political campaigns and requires union leaders to affirm they are not supporters of the Communist Party.

1957—Sputnik Circles Earth

The Soviet Union launches the satellite Sputnik I, which becomes the first artificial object to orbit the Earth. It orbits for two months and provides valuable information about the density of the upper atmosphere. It also panics the United States into a space race that eventually culminates in the U.S. moon landing.

1970—Janis Joplin Overdoses

American blues singer Janis Joplin is found dead on the floor of her motel room in Los Angeles. The cause of death is determined to be an overdose of heroin, possibly combined with the effects of alcohol.

Classic science fiction from James Grazier with uncredited cover art.
Hammond Innes volcano tale features Italian intrigue and Mitchell Hooks cover art.

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