Page, Bettie

▪ 2009

      American model

born April 22, 1923, Nashville, Tenn.

died Dec. 11, 2008, Los Angeles, Calif.

was a legendary pinup model of the 1950s whose provocative photographs were credited with helping to usher in the 1960s sexual revolution. Page's modeling career lasted from about 1950 to 1957, during which time she attracted a huge following by appearing in numerous men's magazines such as Wink, Peek, Titter, and Eyeful; in 1955 she also became one of the earliest centrefold models for Playboy. Her work for fetish photographer Irving Klaw eventually drew the attention of government authorities; Page was subpoenaed to appear before a congressional panel investigating obscenity but never testified. She soon gave up modeling, however, and dropped from public view altogether; she reportedly became a born-again Christian and in later years suffered bouts of mental illness. A great revival of interest in Page began in the 1990s. Richard Foster's biography, The Real Bettie Page: The Truth About the Queen of the Pinups, appeared in 1997, and she was also the subject of two films, Bettie Page: Dark Angel (2004) and The Notorious Bettie Page (2005).

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