Rita Hayworth — “Gilda” Era (1946, United States)

After the release of the film Gilda in 1946, Rita Hayworth became one of the most iconic pinup girls in American popular culture. A single promotional pinup portrait from the film—showing Hayworth in a sleek black dress, glancing over her shoulder—was widely reproduced as pinup art.

The image was so popular that it was reportedly displayed in countless private spaces by fans and servicemen alike. Hayworth’s image helped define the glamorous Hollywood pinup model style of the late 1940s.