Bunny Yeager, Celebrated Pinup Photographer, Dies At 85

Bunny Yeager, a successful model and pinup photographer who launched the pinup career of Bettie Page, died on Sunday, March 25 at the age of 85.

Bunny Yeager And Bettie Page

Yeager, born in 1929, found early success as a model in Miami in the 50s and was able to make the jump to photographer in 1955 after she submitted a scandalous photo of Bettie Page to Playboy. Both Yeager and Page went on to make names for themselves, with Page working in front of the camera and Yeager acting as photographer. Yeager photographed many models and would make handmaid bathing suits and outfits for them to wear. She also produced a series of self-portraits.

Yeager’s career as a pinup photographer slowed down significantly in the 70s, when publications were looking to push more nudity and graphic photos, which was not something Yeager was interested in participating in.

“I’m not doing it to titillate anybody’s interest. I want to show off how beautiful my subjects are, whether it’s a cheetah or a live girl or two of them together. That’s more important to me than anything,” Yeager said in a 2013 interview.

But, in recent years Yeager’s work has been celebrated and put up in galleries across the country. In fact, Yeager has a coffee table book coming out next month called Bettie Page: Queen of Curves and was directing a photo shoot just last month. In late April, Yeager photographed the 2011 Playboy Playmate of the Year Claire Sinclair.