Tana Louise
Encyclopedia
Tana Louise was a burlesque
American burlesque
American Burlesque is a genre of variety show. Derived from elements of Victorian burlesque, music hall and minstrel shows, burlesque shows in America became popular in the 1860s and evolved to feature ribald comedy and female striptease...

 striptease
Striptease
A striptease is an erotic or exotic dance in which the performer gradually undresses, either partly or completely, in a seductive and sexually suggestive manner...

 artist, nicknamed the "Cincinnati Sinner", in the 1950s. However, she was more famous as a fetish model
Fetish model
A fetish model is a model who models fetish clothing or devices that augment his or her body in a fetish manner or in fetishistic situations, though he or she may not work exclusively in that form of modeling....

. She contributed regularly to the fetish magazine
Fetish magazine
A fetish magazine is a type of magazine originating in the 1960s which is devoted to sexual fetishism. The content is generally aimed at being erotic rather than pornographic...

 Exotique
Exotique
Exotique magazine was published by Leonard Burtman in New York City between 1955 and 1959. Gene Bilbrew, also known by his pseudonym ENEG, was an artist who contributed work to Burtman's publications but was not the publisher....

, as both a columnist and model and even married the owner of the magazine, Leonard Burtman. Among the photographers that she worked with was Irving Klaw
Irving Klaw
Irving Klaw was an American photographer and filmmaker.Klaw is best-known for operating a mail-order business selling photographs and film of attractive women from the 1940s to the 1960s...

.

In 1950 she was accused of hitting fellow stripper, Emerald Forrest, over the head with a club. When asked of the charges Louise responded, "T'ain't so".

By the late 1950s, her marriage to Burtman had begun to deteriorate and they divorced. Soon after she left the magazine and disappeared from the public eye. She was one of the most famous fetish models of her day, but as time went on she was overshadowed by her peer, Bettie Page
Bettie Page
Bettie Mae Page was an American model who became famous in the 1950s for her fetish modeling and pin-up photos. She has often been called the "Queen of Pinups"...

.

Louise was sued by Tina Louise
Tina Louise
Tina Louise is an American actress, singer, and author. She is best known for her role as the "movie star" Ginger Grant on the television situation comedy Gilligan's Island .-Early life:...

 for allegedly "swiping her name and capitalizing on her fame".

In the 1960s, Tana Louise and burlesque striptease artist Mara Gaye
Mara Gaye
Mara Gaye , born Marjorie Helen Ginsberg in Bronx, New York, was a professional showgirl, dancer with the Radio City Music Hall Rockettes , and exotic burlesque striptease dancer of the 1940s through the 1960s...

 started an exotic bizarre costumes mail order catalog company called Tana and Mara.

Further reading

  • Kim Christy, The Complete Reprint of Exotique: The First 36 Issues, 1951-1957. Taschen
    Taschen
    Taschen is an art book publisher founded in 1980 by Benedikt Taschen in Cologne, Germany. It began as Taschen Comics publishing Benedikt's extensive comic collection...

    , 1998. ISBN 3-8228-7436-1.

External links

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