Call him the Grandfather or the Godfather of pin-up art…or maybe just call him the best pin-up artist. You could not go wrong with any of these accolades. As his name suggests, Dickens was born in London although I do not know if he is related to his famous namesake author. While Dickens worked as a freelance commercial artist, pin-up art was his first love and it was the onset of World War II that gave Dickens his break as his drawings of sweet, beautiful women would become a hot property to lonely servicemen who were far from home and far from their wives and girlfriends. While Dickens’ illustration style is clearly one of classical training it still holds up today and to today’s younger artists who are very talented, but most of whom cannot capture that pure innocence of Dickens. Those of us who are fans of his suffered a great loss when he passed away in 2004 at a robust 98 years of age. Thankfully we will always have his prolific volume of work to remember him by.

This is the second volume of Dickens pin-up art from SQP and features 50 previously unpublished works. Dickens illustrated the all-American woman, even if they were not necessarily American. In fact his illustrations of Spanish, Mexican, Dutch, American Indian, and other women were some of his most memorable works, and many are on display in this latest collection. The Dickens woman was a classic beauty. A real woman with real curves that didn’t require augmentation, and oh those big, bright, playful eyes! Dickens’ use of soft colors accentuates the naughty, sexy, and spicy women he illustrates. This collection features a variety of Dickens women at their lighthearted best, and ready for activities like golf and tennis. There’s a lovely witch, a good ol’ cowgirl holding a mug of beer, a slave girl, and a gorgeous Veronica Lake-looking blond holding a little kitten. This is truly a marvelous collection of work.

The word legend is tossed around very lightly sometimes, but in the case of Archie Dickens it is not only fitting, but virtually the only word that works. Hats off to SQP for another great collection!

Reviewed by Tim Janson

Rating: 5 / 5