Bunny Yeager

Bettie Page in Leopard Bikini

1955

Bunny Yeager was an American photographer and former pin-up model. Born Linnea Eleanor Yeager in Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania, in 1929, Yeager became one of the most photographed models in Miami.

After retiring from modeling, Yeager began her career behind the camera. She met Bettie Page in 1954 and took most of the photographs of her that year. Along with photographer Irving Klaw, Yeager played a role in helping to make Page famous, particularly with her photos in Playboy magazine. Yeager is also credited with discovering the model Lisa Winters.

Following Page's retirement, Yeager remained a successful photographer. She took the well-known still images of Ursula Andress on the beach in the 1962 James Bond film Dr. No and discovered many other notable models. In 1968 she played the role of a Swedish masseuse opposite Frank Sinatra in Lady In Cement. Yeager was played by Sarah Paulson in the 2005 film The Notorious Bettie Page. She was also featured on a CNN story about the 60th anniversary of the bikini.

In the 1950s Yeager appeared on America's number one game show, What's My Line?, and she stumped the panel. In 2005, Cult Epics released the DVD 100 Girls by Bunny Yeager, a documentary with behind-the-scenes footage of Yeager's photo sessions with Page and other pin-up models.

In early 2010, the Warhol Museum held the first exhibition of Bunny's work. Most of the photographs in the exhibit came from Bunny's book How I Photograph Myself published by A.S. Barnes & Co. in 1964. In 2011, Gallery Schuster (Berlin/Miami) became the official representative of Yeager's photographic artwork.

In November 2011, the Dezer Schauhalle in Miami FL hosted a retrospective exhibition of Yeager's work. Included were some never-before-seen photos of various models including the late Bettie Page. In 2012 the German Fashion Company bruno banani launched their new fashion Line " Bunny Yeager" and opened, together with Gallery Schuster, a permanent Bunny Yeager Lounge in Berlin.

Find original Bunny Yeager photography on 1stDibs.

(Biography provided by The Art Design Project)