Burton was far more interesting than most risqué postcard girlie artists because he was barely a step above a primitive. Halfway between cartoon and accomplished. His dames are curvy in form but flat in perspective…thus charming like a folk art painting. Not at all painterly, and that makes them far more fun to look at than those guys who did Coke ads at Christmas. Barely adequate representations of hot 1940s babes on the beach, but not too fancy or frilly. Most importantly, not too "good" and you know I hate those "good" cheesecake artists.
Burton Armstrong also worked for Esquire and Sears Roebuck, and once in a while his paintings come on the market, but since we at Vintage Sleaze think masterpieces should be affordable to the general population, these nickel postcards are perfect. As we shown on this page from a salesman sample catalog from manufacturer, Burton was given his whole line of postcards.
Burton Armstrong page from Colourpicture Publishers, Inc. Boston MA 1946
Collection Victor Minx
