Mike Ludlow's Esquire Girls

Here is one of Mike Ludlow's gorgeous 'centerfolds' for Esquire magazine - from the August 1956 issue.



Ludlow is often referred to as a pin-up artist and considering he painted the entire 1957 Esquire pin-up calendar (the last ever published by the magazine) I suppose the designation fits. But beyond his pin-up work for Esquire, I have never seen any other examples.



I find Ludlow's work fresh and distinct - stylistically similar to Cooper studio artists of the day like Joe DeMers, Coby Whitmore and Joe Bowler. As pin-up artists go, Ludlow was no Sundblom clone!



Here are the last few pages from the '57 Esquire calendar for your enjoyment.











You can find the rest in my Mike Ludlow Flickr set.