Paige Young In Art and On Merchandise. Paintings By Paige Young. Never seen before and Rare Images. Several NSFW.

Autographed photo I purchased. The seller found it going through the papers of his recently deceased uncle. It’s not photographic paper but like thin magazine paper. Paige’s signature is on the paper though, it’s not mimeographed.

I found the next 4 slides on ebay.

The seller had purchased a batch of slides through an auction.

A handful were labeled (as taken by) Peter Gowland.

I looked through the lot on Ebay and recognized Paige in a handful of the many slides of topless or naked women.

There are very few images of Paige in circulation that weren’t take by Peter and his partner, wife Alice Gowland. She did most of her modeling work with the couple or Peter alone.

I was interested only in Paige’s photos of course, but had to buy the whole lot. Now I own several slides of unknown women.

I wish I had a few non-nude-modeling images of Paige. Especially the kind taken in a natural environment by family or friends.

Gowland took several non-nude photos of Paige modeling the current fashions of the day.

Never used in US Playboy magazine.

NSFW

These are the slides of Paige that I purchased.

Location is the Gowland’s Property in Rustic Canyon?

Image #1 would be an immediate reject. In fact all of them and the whole lot are rejects and that’s how the slides got on the market, probably.

Certainly eyes closed and a shadow on face cast by model’s hand, would be unsuitable for publication. Plus, public hair on Playmate models was not shown in the magazine in 1968.

A version combining images #2 and #3 was used for the January 1969 issue of Playboy Magazine. (See related chapter)
The subtle amount of pubic hair in this shot would have not made it into a Playboy centerfold in 1968. That was still a few years in the future. It would have been rejected anyway due to a cat’s tail captured along the bottom edge.
Thank you for restoring and scanning the slides to:  glamourphotographers.yolasite.com

by artist Martha Rosler.
Rosler created a series of collages appropriating images of Playmates from the late 1960s. Rosler used this image of Paige from the January 1969 issue. Original image seen in chapter Playboy 1969.

A cigar is just a cigar?

Mel Ramos. Pop artist known for appropriating images of Playboy Playmates intertwined or wrapped up in, consumer objects.

Ramos’ rendition of Paige Young’s face is a spot-on likeness. Her breast size is not, it’s greatly exaggerated.

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Found on internet.

The unique stone pattern of Gowland’s swimming pool was used for numerous photos in his photography instruction books over the decades.

Cover of Playboy magazine in which Paige appeared as Playmate of the month November 1968.

She did not appear on the the cover of “her” issue as some Playmates did. A Femlin touting the election instead.

Party Joke page Femlin character by LeRoy Neiman, she appeared in sculpted clay model form a few times as we see in November of 1968, election month between Hubert Humphrey and Richard Nixon. I remember in El Paso finding out at school that Nixon had won.

Playmate Puzzles

Lid of Paige Young puzzle with “mini-centerfold.”

LA based author Duke Haney told me about the history of Playmate puzzles.

Playmate Puzzles-Playboy merch.

It was a series and one of them included the centerfold image of Paige Young. Look on ebay and there are several examples.

“The successful Playmate puzzle series was released periodically, in groups of 4 Playmates at a time. Paige’s group included Cynthia Myers, Gwen Wong and DeDe Lind. It was released in 70/71.

Haney describes the lid of the Playmate puzzle.

“The mini-centerfold measures 3×6.5 and two were included with every puzzle. One was folded so that only the face of the girl was visible through the opaque cap on the can. This was so that the buyer knew which puzzle it was, which Playmate. There are four pictured on the can itself. Then there was another mini-centerfold inside the can. This one wasn’t creased like the one below the lid. These pictures were guides to be referenced while piecing together the puzzle. Only one would have been necessary but hey…”

Author Duke Haney
Finished puzzle of the Paige Young centerfold. Image courtesy of Duke Haney.

Haney says Playmates “never received residuals, Playboy owned the photos outright.” And that “The last of the puzzles were released in 1973, so Paige would have certainly been alive when her puzzle was released.”

Thank you Duke Haney for speaking with me, I really appreciate it!

Richard Sample as painted by Paige Young. Courtesy of Richard Sample

*NOTE* All the images of Paige’s paintings that follow were publicly posted on Pinterest and/or Facebook.

“Veronica and Gort” Paige’s friend from Malibu/Topanga.
This is Paige’s friend from the late 1960s Malibu area named Veronica. She is shown with her husband Dick Narveson in Mexico City in the early 1970s. What she told me about Paige is included in the chapter about Paige’s phone list.

The Laundress

High Noon.

Painting by Paige Young courtesy of Melanie Myers. Myers said that Paige “was a true artist who stretched her own canvases and mixed her own paint.”

Painting of a friend of Paige’s and her daughters given to her when Paige left Topanga Beach area. Around 1970. I don’t see a signature.

This image of two jockeys battling in a horse race was sent to me by S.D. who was given this painting by a former boss. The boss had purchased the painting at a garage sale “in either Riverside or San Diego.” The seller told him “the painter had been a Playboy Playmate who killed herself.” We can see Paige’s signature clearly in the lower left corner and dated 1965. I will post a close up of the signature soon.
Thank you for contacting me S.D. with this information.

Clearly reads Paige Young 1965. Based on my research, this year is early in Paige’s Malibu/Topanga residency. She had filed for divorce from her husband Mark F. Segal in Aug. of 1964 at age 20. The couple was living close to where Paige grew up and went to school: Studio City and Sherman Oaks area of the San Fernando Valley. She moved to the beach sometime after she filed for divorce as confirmed by her cousin Christian.
Paige’s lawyer was celebrity lawyer Marvin M. Mitchelson of Beverly Hills.
Please Read corresponding chapter about him.

PETER GOWLAND’S GIRLS exhibit and book curated by Thom Schrimbock 2016. All took place in Germany.

Cover of the book based on the exhibit: Peter Gowland’s Girls, held somewhere in Germany.

To mark the 100th birthday of Peter Gowland ZEPHYR – Space for Photography in Mannheim & Reiss-Engelhorn Museums curated “Peter Gowland’s Girls,” the first international exhibition of his lifework.  “Peter Gowland’s Girls” showcases some 200 works selected from Peter Gowland’s estate, which comprises tens of thousands of superb prints and slides, including the most sensational, most elegant and most daring pictures from his unparalleled career as a pin-up photographer. The exhibition displays his portraits of stars like Joan Collins and Jayne Mansfield, his work for “Playboy” and “Rolling Stone”, and his pictures for innumerable calendars and magazines from the 1940s to the 1970s.

from petergowlandphotography.com

Photo below is from my copy of the book.

I do not know if it was included in the German exhibit.

Labeled Unknown in the book Peter Gowland’s Girls.
Another scuba photo not published. From the same shoot the day of scuba diving. Paige’s published centerfold scuba photos show her immersed in water wearing full scuba gear while her companion spears a sea creature.
Outtake from same photo session. Compare to “Unknown” photo above.

Cover of the book ‘WACK! Art and the Feminist Revolution’, featuring a collage of women. This book came out some time ago.

Paige Young had some photo shoots published and distributed in 1970. Like the Playboy Calendar shown above. Image coming soon.

One of the Gowlands long time employers, 1964-2002, was the Ohio-based Ridge Tool Company, a hand tool manufacturing company, using the “Ridgid” brand name.

Ridgid Tool Company became famous for its’  2-year calendars featuring images of bikini-clad models holding various tools made by Ridgid. I’m guessing Ridge sent these calendars every year to their tool purchasing clients.

Paige appears in the 69/70 edition. Cover below.

Paige appeared in the 69/70 edition of the famous Rigdig Tool Calendar with fellow Playmates Reagan Wilson and Mercy Rooney (Merci Montello) below. The calendar does not identify them as Playmates. Collection of the author.
Playmate, model and starlet Reagan Wilson posed for Peter Gowland several times in the late 1960s. Her photo was one of the ones that went into space with one of the Apollo missions.

Merci Montello when this was taken by Peter Gowland. Mercy Rooney in Playboy December 1972. Merci was a favorite of Peter Gowland and she appears in several of his books and on some of his branded merchandise.

Mercy Rooney, Playboy Magazine Playmate December 1972. The model previously went by the name Merci Montello.
Here she is seen here partying with Mick Jagger and unidentified woman in the Chicago Playboy Mansion.
LA author Duke Haney informed me that Mercy was in town for her Playboy shoot, soon to take place at the mansion, which is Hugh Hefner’s residence.
The Chicago mansion often served as a locale for centerfold photo sessions.
Duke says that Mercy got so bruised up during the party with Jagger and the many revelers that her photo shoot needed to be postponed;
the bruising was too bad even for the makeup artists to cover passably.
This party is recounted in the book Bunny by Miller and involves Hugh Hefner’s secretary Bobbie Arnstein and Mick Jagger. It’s not a sexual encounter either.
(I have written about Bobbie in other chapters.)
Johnny Doll on Pinterest.Chicago 1972. Another view of the photo with Mercy and Jagger and? at the “wild” Chicago Mansion party.



Official Rolling Stones app

Lancaster New Era. April 14, 1969.

<<<<<<< I think Merci had this skill.

Mercy “Montelco” took her husband’s last name for Playboy modeling and became Mercy Rooney. She worked as a Playboy Bunny in the LA Club.

April 1

Many more models, starlets and Playboy Playmates were unnamed models in these Ridgid Tool calendars over the decades.

One did go on to great fame: Raquel Welch.

From 1964 until 2002, Peter and Alice photographed models for the Ridgid Tool Calendar (Ridge Tool Company).

Some of the models who appeared in those calendars include Stephanie Drake, Kathy McCullen, Cindy Margolis, and several Playboy Playmates, including Renee Tenison, Nikki Schieler, Barbara Moore, Heidi Sorensen and Penny Baker.
Thanks to:

Michael at glamourphotographers.yolasite.com

I will add Cyndi Wood and Debra Jo Fondren, both Playmates of the Year, appeared in Ridgid calendars shot by Peter Gowland.

NSFW

This image seated in yellow chair was used on a Playboy collectible card. Interesting mid-century chair and brown shag carpet specific to the era.

From an ebay sale several years ago. Probably a gift for special clients of Electro Chemical. There is an association with Ridgid the Tool Company who made the calendars for decades. Early 1970s.

Not identified as Paige Young. Again I recognized her looking through these photos for sale on ebay. I did a search of Peter Gowland and they photos came up.

The other model is a Gowland Favorite:Ann Cushing.

Both Paige and Ann are featured on sets of “sip and strip” glasses, none are identified by name or title of Playmate. I did not buy these I could afford one only.

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