Mayall Press Art Studies

Photographic playing cards - each face having an "art study" of a female nude, published by Mayall Press, Stockwell, London. Intended for the discriminating artist and connoisseur of art, demonstrating modern photography at its finest. The box is clearly from the paper-rationing era, so presumably produced during or soon after the Second World War, when service men were returning home to their families and loved ones. The style of the cards anticipates the Playboy Club which opened in 1960.

Above: Photographic playing cards - each face having an "art study" of a female nude, Mayall Press, Stockwell, London, c.1946. This edition has square corners and over the years different editions were published with different models. Images courtesy Matt Probert.