For nearly forty years, Arthur Ferrier defined the golden age of British pin-up art through his masterful ink work and elegant portrayal of the fashionable female form. His distinctive style graced comic strips, cartoons, and advertising campaigns, making him one of the most celebrated illustrators of his era.
Compiled and researched by artist and author Rian Hughes, Published by Korero Press, Arthur Ferrier’s Pin-up Parade, a deluxe three-volume set features hundreds of cartoons, alongside rare original artwork, vintage magazine covers, news clippings, and historical posters. With an introduction by renowned author and illustrator Rian, plus Ferrier’s own articles on illustration techniques – invaluable resources for artists working today…
Artist Mal Earl shares his thoughts on this incredible three-volume collection of pin-up art by one of Britain’s most prolific and cherished illustrators…
In an age where the soulless AI offspring of endless word prompts seems to be all that a modern audience has interest in, it is wonderful that Rian Hughes and Korero Press have seen fit to pull together what must qualify for book of the year.
My own interest in art stems from an appreciation of what an artist can do physically and mentally with their own hands… not whether they can string a line of words together to prompt a machine to make a picture. AI may, as some claim, be the ‘future’… but not on my shelves I’m afraid.
The age in which Arthur Ferrier lived and worked as an illustrator was an age of personal endeavour unlike that which exists today. Illustration was a viable career, where ‘skill’ was a rewarded commodity, because an audience existed who appreciated the ‘skill’ on show.
In this age of multi-output software options producing cheap images at a speed that beggars belief, there is a danger that the illustrators of the past and their achievements will be lost to time.
Thankfully, this epic three volume set redresses the balance substantially.
I’ll point out that this review is not from a review copy. I purchased a couple of books from the Korero table last September and was struck by the production value and subject matter of those; so when the upcoming Kickstarter for Rian’s book came up, I was in.
This is an independent review of the subsequent book, to give an idea of what your £100 will get you.
As an afficionado of the classic ‘pin up’ and cheesecake genre, from Charles Dana Gibson through John Willie, Eric Stanton, Eugene Bilbrew, George Petty and Gil Elvgren I was aware of the work of the Scotsman Arthur Ferrier, but from virtually no available printed material on the man I couldn’t have hoped for anything quite as spectacular as these books.
It has taken almost a year for these books to come to fruition, and now they have arrived it’s easy to see why.
They are clearly a labour of love, not just for the content, but for the way that content has been presented. There has clearly been a desire to present Ferrier’s work in a package that does him proud – and it does so in spades.
So firstly a word on the physical books. Three hardback, 195mm x 250mm volumes greet you from the box, wrapped in a heavy slipcase, dressed in a mid century pale blue cloth texture binding, with logos designed by Rian Hughes and Ferrier artwork from BLIGHTY magazine.
The three volumes cover a twenty eight year period between 1940 to 1968 and the art is drawn primarily from Ferrier’s work in the pages of BLIGHTY.
The covers are individually coloured, again in mid century tones of green, purple and pink and display more of Ferriers art beneath the deeply embossed logos. The fabric ‘head bands’ to the spines are all coloured coordinated to the covers and each has a tied in blue ribbon bookmark. Each volume has individually patterned endpapers and the illustrations to front and back covers across the set are different on each.
The paper stock used for the interior content of the books is a medium to heavy cotton matte texture, slightly off white, and the printing holds the ink from the remastered original black and white cartoons from BLIGHTY beautifully.
Overall it is a set of books with a perfectly pitched mid century vintage aesthetic designed to complement the work of an admired artist – by a designer and artist who knows his craft.
After admiring the books as the art pieces they are themselves, we open them up…
The first sixty pages or so in each volume is taken up by a section entitled ‘Ferrier Ephemera’. The contents range from a detailed breakdown of Ferrier’s career by Rian in the first book, to reprints of Ferrier’s own articles from contemporary issues of THE ARTIST, and the correspondence course he ran with fellow artists during the height of his celebrity. Titles include, My Method, Advice for the Novice, From Sketch to Ink, Character and Lighting, Pencils and Inks and Props, Dress and Style.
These are all required reading for anyone interested in either the historical aspects of the golden age of illustration or those interested in producing their own art in similar medium. Additionally, there is an anecdotal story revolving around actor and future “Doctor Who” Jon Pertwee, whilst he was performing as a turn at a Ferrier ‘grand soirée’ from the 1940s, that is simply magical.
After the ‘Ephemera’, which also includes newspaper cuttings, early cartoon and illustration work and historical photos of Ferrier at work, the remaining 260 pages of each volume is given over to the jewels of the collection, the wonderful mastery of penmanship in Ferrier’s cartooning.
Arthur Ferrier worked in illustration at a time when ‘skill’ of any kind was recognised and appreciated to such a degree that to attain ‘skill’ in any field was the objective of any career. Whether bricklayer, footballer, soldier, seamstress, carpenter or illustrator, the level of ‘skill’ attained was worn as a badge of honour, as opposed to the fashion of today, in which ‘skill’ is overlooked for an appreciation for speed and immediacy instead!
It’s difficult to understand in this world of fast plastic commodity the level at which illustrators of Ferrier’s quality were regarded. His income allowed him to run a house and a studio in London, and his parties, held at his home on Great Ormond Street were attended by Royalty and the entertainment world elite… how the world has changed!
And within his world, Arthur Ferrier’s ‘skill’ as an illustrator was unmatched.
Now a Ferrier girl is not a Stanton or a Bilbrew or a Bill Ward girl. Ferrier curves come from a different place, clearly born from a love of woman rather than a fantasists love of sex. Perhaps his earliest renditions in the nineteen twenties when, flapper culture was bringing feminism to the fore advised some subconscious approach to his characters personalities in this regard? Either way, his girls are all fully rounded and have depth in their representation, wonderfully observed fashions, gestural attitudes and general deportment… again the ‘skill’ of a master at his craft.
Being a reflection of a bygone era when there are, obviously, tropes and stereotypical elements within his art, but throughout the books there is a surprising modernity to Ferrier’s presentation of his girls. These aren’t bombshells, they are beautifully joyous creations that seem imbued with real lives through the fluidity of Ferrier’s brush and pen work, and more often than not are not the punchline of the cartoon – that honour belongs mainly to the men. This is not your standard, British seaside postcard fare!
His work is always tastefully innocent, and as Rian Hughes notes, by the time Ferrier’s illustrations were gracing the pages of the more risqué versions of an evolved BLIGHTY by the 1960s, his work was beginning to appear at odds with the rest of the magazine content, and had been relegated to ever smaller presentations on the interior and his cover images had been dropped for semi-nude photographs instead.
Pete Beard has a good overview of Arthur Ferrier’s life on his excellent YouTube channel, and there are multiple articles on Ferrier at the Korero press website if you need any further information on acquiring the books.
In conclusion, I’d like to reiterate that this set was not a review copy. I invested the £100 twelve months ago to both support the production of what I hoped would be a decent, long overdue overview of one of my favourite artists, and have the resultant book on my shelves once completed. What I eventually received has far exceeded that expectation.
Rian Hughes and Korero Press have paid Arthur Ferrier the highest of compliments, and if you have similar interests to myself I cannot recommend this set of beautiful books highly enough… absolutely spectacular!
Mal Earl
• Arthur Ferrier’s Pin-up Parade is available here as a three-volume set direct from Korero Press
Comprises
Volume 1: Showgirl Sirens (1940-1949) | Available separately here from AmazonUK (Affiliate Link)
Volume 2: Burlesque Bombshells (1949-1954)| Available separately here from AmazonUK (Affiliate Link)
Volume 3: Cabaret Cuties (1954-1968)| Available separately here from AmazonUK (Affiliate Link)
Mal Earl is an artist, writer and publisher. Lured back into the fields of art, comics and illustration in 2012, he has stacked up an impressive list of work in the subsequent years. His most recent project, The Jigsaw Review, is available now
Head downthetubes for…
On Korero Press…
Dive deeper into the world of Arthur Ferrier and pin-up art through our series of articles…
- Reclaiming the Pin-up: A Conversation with Hannah Rose
- When Ferrier Met Roye: A Medium-Spanning Tribute to the Nude
- Rediscovering Arthur Ferrier: Pin-up Artist Extraordinaire
Pete Beard’s “Arthur Ferrier” Documentary
• Arthur Ferrier’s Pin-up Parade is available here as a three-volume set direct from Korero Press
This collection has been meticulously researched and compiled by renowned author, designer, and illustrator Rian Hughes. With a passion for vintage illustration and an eye for detail, Hughes has brought Arthur Ferrier’s work back into the limelight. His own acclaimed works include Logo-a-gogo, Rayguns and Rocketships, and the novels The Black Locomotive and XX. Follow Rian on Instagram: @rianhughes.
- About the Author
- Latest Posts
John is the founder of downthetubes, launched in 1998. He is a comics and magazine editor, writer, and Press Officer for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He also runs Crucible Comic Press.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine and Overkill for Marvel UK, Babylon 5 Magazine, Star Trek Magazine, and its successor, Star Trek Explorer, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics; and has edited several comic collections and graphic novels, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”, and Hancock: The Lad Himself, by Stephen Walsh and Keith Page.
He’s the writer of comics such as Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs”, with Dave Hailwood.
Categories: Art and Illustration, Books, British Comics - Collections, Comic Art, Comics, downthetubes News, Features, Other Worlds, Reviews