Irving Klaw (American, 1910-1966) Bettie Page (2 works), circa 1950s 1 gelatin silver print, 1 film negative 5 x 4 in...
Auction amount: $1,625.00
Sold: Aug 13, 2025
Irving Klaw (American, 1910-1966)
Photography
Birth Place: Brooklyn, NY
Biography:
One of the most well-known photographers of pin-up models from the 1940s through the 1960s, Irving Klaw specialized in pin-ups of burlesque stars and pictorials with a bondage fetish theme. His work with Bettie Page help make her the Queen of the Pin-Ups. Other famous models he used included Tempest Storm and Blaze Starr. Working with his sister Paula Klaw, he created a money-making mail-order photo business. They were careful that their photos did not include nudity or sex acts, which would have made them illegal to sell via the mail. However, they did include bondage fetishism, “cat fights”, and lingerie modeling. This business led to a new endeavor in B-movie reels with Varietease (1954), and Teaserama (1955), which features famous burlesque stars Lili St. Cyr, Tempest Storm, and his previous pin-up queen Bettie Page. There was a third film in 1956 titled Buxom Beautease which did not star Page. The Kefauver Hearings of the Senate Subcommittee on Juvenile Delinquency in 1957 marked the beginning of the end of Klaw’s mail-order empire in the same way it also caused the end of the EC Comics empire. Klaw closed his store-front business and burned an estimated 80% of his negatives. Luckily, his sister Paula Klaw secreted and kept many of his better images, which is the only way they survived to today. Renewed interest in the pin-up career of Bettie Page in the 1980s also helped revive interest in the photography of Irving Klaw, with a resulting resurgence in the sales of related films and books.
Heritage Auctions, the world's third largest auction house, brings decades of experience and connoisseurship to the fine art world. From Old Masters to contemporary works, our specialists help collectors understand and appreciate art and as the best place to sell fine art, we help sellers achieve the highest prices in the market.
Get Notified of New Matches
Create a Wantlist for Irving Klaw Artwork
Create Wantlist
Have Irving Klaw Artwork to sell?
Ask about cash advances.
Free Appraisal