Milestones - Early Pinball Art

[Patch]

Been looking at all tables at IPDB & other places
by year, from the mid '40s on
Doesn't seem to matter what the table theme was
they mostly featured pretty girls :)

This entry - 1948 Bally Ballerina, has pics of all the original pencil art
by Lester Hilbrich ...

http://www.ipdb.org/showpic.pl?id=141&picno=7319

This one shows the best detail ...

http://www.ipdb.org/showpic.pl?id=141&picno=56518&zoom=1

Marc Bouchard has recreated this one, it's here & @ IRPinball

Pretty cool stuff - how it was done before computers :)

 

[Patch]

Gottlieb 1951 Mermaid, Roy Parker's artwork
... a refurbished Mermaid recently fetched $22,000 by auction
It has backbox animation, where a fisherman pulls up the boot
& behind his back pops up a fish, thumbing it's nose

 

[Patch]

William's 1953 '9 Sisters'

http://www.pinrepair.com/wmswood/9sister.htm

Not much more than head & shoulders, only the blonde on the backglass
& the raven haired on PF, sisters, go below the shoulders

This could be the first table with a ramp
William's called it "whirligig" a corkscrew solid metal type
Flippers & bumper caps painted gold & one of 6 tables
with EM scoring reels, for that year only ...

 

[stevencia]

wondering also if those ladies were maybe modeled after some famous names back then
like maybe Barbara Stanwyck, Marilyn Monroe and possibly Rita Hayworth for the three ladies on the pin
(had to google some of them)

 

[faralos]

ah back when dames ruled the pin glass art
NOT chicks or whores but real live ladies with class and everything!

 

[Itchigo]

Mermaid is available here, and at Rogue. I believe Phil is working on 9 sisters if I remember correctly.