My Ace of Hearts Will Only Be Drawn For You 

This is a pencil drawing by Gil Elvgren, an American pin-up artist from the 20th century. The drawing presents a woman seated on a sofa, holding up an ace of hearts. Elvgren was part of an influential tradition of commercial art. He originally worked in advertising, and later for Brown and Bigelow, a company that produced calendars and promotional items. The pin-up genre was ubiquitous in mid-century America and it reflected very specific social and cultural values. These images often celebrated an ideal of femininity that was both attractive and wholesome. The images, distributed widely, helped shape the era's notions of beauty and gender roles, reflecting and reinforcing social norms. To better understand Elvgren’s art, we can consult archives of commercial art and advertising, as well as sociological studies of American popular culture. Examining these resources can give us insight into the dynamics between art, commerce, and the construction of social values.