Archie Dickens, born in Balham, London, in June 1907, emerged as a prominent British artist known for creating greeting cards and pin-up illustrations. From an early age, he displayed artistic talent, just like his older sister, Doris Louise. At the age of 14, a teacher recognized his artistic abilities and encouraged him to attend the Slade School of Art in London. However, financial difficulties in the family led him to forgo further education and instead seek employment to support his family. To help support his family, he applied for a position as a junior lettering artist and was accepted.
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Looming Threat
In the 1930s, Dickens began his career as a freelance artist in a studio located in the attic of London's commercial artists' quarter. The growing public interest in pin-up illustrations caught his attention, as he saw it as an opportunity to expand his market. However, with the looming threat of war, sustaining his family became challenging due to frequent contract cancellations.
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First Pin-Up
In 1937, through a friend residing in New Zealand, Archie Dickens received an invitation to join an advertising agency in Auckland. He then left England and arrived in New Zealand, where he was greeted by a landscape quite different from his homeland. It was in this setting that he dared to paint his first pin-up, which proved to be a success. The increasing demand for his work led him to hire models and expand his career in this direction, enjoying the notoriety he achieved.
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Australian Army
With the onset of World War II in 1939, Archie Dickens relocated once again, this time to Australia, where he resumed his work as a freelancer, painting calendar girls for a studio in Sydney. His pin-ups soon gained popularity in Australia as well. However, during the conflict, he temporarily set aside his art to serve in the Australian army.
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'Gluckli'
After the war, Dickens married a young Australian woman. With a family of his own, he decided to return to the UK in 1948. He purchased a house in Acacia Gardens, West Wickham, Kent, and established a studio dedicated to his art, painting his calendar girls. In the 1960s and 1970s, he redirected his focus to producing greeting cards, distributed in various stores across the UK. By using the pseudonym 'Gluckli', Dickens managed to create a distinctive trademark that set him apart from many other artists.
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Teddy Bears
The pin-ups created by artist Archie Dickens are a unique expression of his artistic skill and distinctive style. Throughout his career, the artist excelled in creating pin-up images that captured the female form in a simultaneously sensual and elegant manner, often depicting bare breasts. Although his pin-ups are nearly always nude, they exude an almost childlike innocence, often depicted playing with animals like dogs and cats, alongside teddy bears, holding objects, or engaging in everyday activities, set in empty scenes.
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In the deluxe Premium edition of the article more on Dickens' ideas behind the feminine figure, the development of his pin-up girls and 30+ additional pics of his enticing pin-ups.
Click HERE for the embarrassing images of ladies in distress by Art Frahm
