Bettie Page (1923-2008) and Bunny Yaeger (1929-2014)
Words and Handkerchief by Robin Archer
Bettie Page and Bunny Yeager. Individually, they are icons, but as a team, they are like goddesses. Bunny took a kind of control that was almost unprecedented for the time.
Both model and photographer, her images captured the confident beauty of her subjects, enhanced simply by being photographed by another woman.
That comes across in all her work, the playful and happy interaction without the pressure or insinuation of a male lensman directing the scene. In Bettie, she found an ideal foil and the epitome of the 50s pin-up, playful yet fierce, at ease with her nudity before the camera and with the audience beyond.
These two women are the giants on whose shoulders so many others have stood and stand to this day.
This artwork is part of The Wall of Sexual Heroes, a collaborative textile art piece featured in our previous exhibitions at the Horse Hospital (2022) and Bow Arts Lab (2023). All embroidered, printed and appliquėd handkerchiefs celebrate unsung heroes of sexual emancipation, activism and innovation.
The Wall is an organic work. If you would like to contribute, please get in touch with The Keeper.
