16. Burlesque Performers Used Photos to Advertise
From the 1860’s to the 1940’s, Burlesque performances became popular in the United States. They were a sort of variety show where women perform on stage by singing, dancing, or acting as she slowly begins a strip tease. Women began to take photographs of themselves naked or nearly-naked as their resume in getting the job as a Burlesque performer. In some of these photos, they use the same method that you see in the artwork, where they are partially covered up and leave something to mystery.
Even though this is still technically stripping, burlesque performers are usually partially clothed, even at the end of their tease. It is still considered to go hand-in-hand with pin-up, and it is considered to be more tame and far more difficult and entertaining than other forms of stripping that you usually see in a seedy bar. It has remained popular to this day in Las Vegas and a few other major cities.