Long relegated to old movies and the sides of World War II-era bombers, pin-up art, and its spiritual cousin, the burlesque show, are back, and photographer Jessica Scott is bringing to the Seacoast the art form that made Bettie Page famous.

modern pin-up show comes to the Muddy 

Long relegated to old movies and the sides of World War II-era bombers, pin-up art, and its spiritual cousin, the burlesque show, are back, and photographer Jessica Scott is bringing to the Seacoast the art form that made Bettie Page famous.

An exhibit of Scott’s modern pin-up photos, full of tattooed girls in lacy underthings set against urban backdrops, will be on display at the Muddy River for one night only on Sunday, Sept. 18.

Scott, with bleach-blonde hair and tattoos adorning her shoulders and upper arms, looks a lot like the models found in her photographs. Though girls sporting tattoos, piercings and a little extra weight may not be the commercial ideal of what a model should look like, Scott says they’re beautiful in their own right.

“It’s definitely not your average look,” she says of her models. “I shy away from normal.”

Scott, 22 and a graduate of New England School of Photography in Boston, is not alone in her appreciation for the sensual showmanship and artistic tease that pin-ups and burlesque shows offer. The scene has undergone something of a renaissance in the last few years, with troupes like the Los Angeles-based Velvet Hammer and Canada’s Fluff Girl going on the road to do burlesque shows. Locally, the Boston-based Through the Keyhole Burlesque has made a few appearances at Shooter’s Pub in Exeter. An annual burlesque convention, Tease-O-Rama, started touring across the country in 2001; this year, Tease-O-Rama will be held in San Francisco.

“I like what it is and what it stands for,” she says of the scene. “It’s a positive way for women to show that they’re strong and beautiful without going over the top and being gross or exploited.”

At the moment, Scott does wedding photography on the weekends and devotes the rest of her time to her burgeoning pin-up empire, which includes plans for a coffee table book of her photographs as well as a pin-up calendar. A burlesque performance group is on the horizon, she says.

She’s also done photo shoots for models aspiring to join SuicideGirls.com, a Web site that’s a combination of amateur pin-up and erotic photography and online community. Though Suicide Girls is close in spirit to pin-ups, Scott says she prefers to stick to the more traditional style of leaving a lot to the viewer’s imagination. She describes her pictures as “suggestive, but not over the top.”

Why is an old art form that relies heavily on suggestion making a comeback in an age of on-demand hardcore porn? “Because people have seen everything,” Scott says. “It’s a little classier. It’s sexier to have something covered up than in your face.”

And, explicitness can get stale after a while. “There are only so many things you can come up with before you’re bored,” she says.

Jessica Scott pin-up photography with live acoustic music by Johnny Arndt at the Newberry Room at the Muddy River, Sunday, Sept. 18 at 7 p.m.
There’s a $3 cover to get in, and half the show’s proceeds will be donated to Hurricane Katrina relief efforts.
Scott will also show off her photos at the Seacoast Tattoo Festival, Oct. 8-9 at the Dover Elks’ Lodge.