Bettie Page by Charles West1920-2008 |
Bettie Page by Charles West photo circa 1955-1956 |
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The work of Charles West was first seen publicly in the 1978 issue of PRIVATE PEEKS Vol. 1 published by Belier Press, a magnificent magazine series which which featured the bewitching Bettie Page. They were used again in PRIVATE PEEKS Vol. 3. In total, 27 color 35mm transparencies were used for both volumes. On the other hand, the whole lot consists of 128 pieces! I believe that if it were not for the Charles West's work, the PRIVATE PEEKS magazines still would have been great, but would have lacked that certain something that made the magazines dazzling! |
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The charm of the Charles West photos lies in the fact that they were done by an amateur and Bette is seen as someone who is just posing for her boyfriend. There are no other photos like these of Bettie and they were never meant to be admired for their technical merit although the collection does includes some spectacular work. Other highlights of the Charles West Collection of Bettie Page include 36 small color photographs of various sizes and 36 4x5" B&W photographs. The PRIVATE PEEKS magazines were directly responsible for Bettie Page's modern revival. Charles West's work piqued the interest of many pinup collectors who wondered whatever became of the enigmatic model. For the first time, all 200 pieces are available for viewing. The following sections will be updated as scans keep improving. It is a Photoshop project which started about long ago. One of my favorite signed Charles West photos of Bettie Page is available here for purchase. Charles and I were friends and I helped him get back together with Bettie Page after they had lost contact. |
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Charles West Obituary |
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"Brigadier General Charles J. West, Jr., AUS (Ret), passed away after a long illness on 18 June 2008 in Bath, England. He served in three wars as a distinguished citizen-soldier. He entered The Citadel in 1939 and won the Star of the West Medal. He served on active duty in the US Army as an infantry officer in the Pacific Theater from May 1943 to Sept. 1946. As a captain, he was an aide-de-camp to General of the Army Douglas MacArthur. While serving as the adjutant, 107th Infantry Regiment, New York ARNG, West began a career as an executive with Time-Life. During the Korean War, he was recalled to active duty and again in 1957. During the Vietnam War, he served as a lieutenant colonel in the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations in the Pentagon specializing in special operations which required temporary tours of duty in South Vietnam. For 18 months, Colonel West served on the White House Staff, under President Nixon, as Chief of the Safeguard Support Group. The Safeguard Missile served as a bargaining chip with the USSR during discussions that led to the ABM Treaty. Colonel West was released from active duty in late 1970 and worked as a management consultant. He was promoted to Brigadier General in 1973 and continued to serve on short tours of duty with the Army Staff until his retirement from the US Army Reserve in 1978. He was a founder of the Company of Military Historians as well as an antique dealer in his retirement in Wilton, Conn. In the mid-1990s he moved to Bath, England. General West was awarded the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star Medal, Joint Service and Army Commendation Medals, the Combat Infantryman Badge, Parachutist Badge, Army General Staff Badge, the French Croix de Guerre, Philippine Legion of Honor and the Vietnam Cross of Honor." -citadelalumni.org |
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A Letter From Charles West Jun. 2006: |
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Word has reached me in England where I now live that a film has recently
been released in America called The Notorious Bettie Page. What a load of
rot! Bettie Page is not "notorious"; she never was notorious. Bettie was
always "glorious", and she will ever be.
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