Tennis Girl
The Tennis Girl is a popular poster.[1] It shows a young woman from behind walking towards the net of a tennis court with a tennis racquet in her right hand and her left hand reaching behind lifting her short tennis dress, showing she is not wearing any underwear.
The photograph was taken by Martin Elliott in September 1976 and features 18-year-old Fiona Butler[2] (now Walker[3][4]), his girlfriend at the time.[5] The photo was taken at Birmingham University, Edgbaston, Birmingham, England, using a borrowed dress, racquet and balls.[5][6][7][8]
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[edit] History
The poster was first published as part of a calendar by Athena for the 1977 Silver Jubilee, the same year Virginia Wade achieved the Wimbledon ladies' singles title.[9]
The poster achieved widespread distribution when licensed to the poster shop Athena.[10] in 1978 where it sold for £2.[1] It sold about 2 million copies[1][7] as a poster.
Butler said that she was not embarrassed about posing nor bitter that she did not receive any royalties from the photo.[1][8]
Elliott died on 24 March 2010.[11] Butler now lives in Droitwich Spa, Worcestershire.
[edit] Popularity and parody
Over the years the picture has been parodied by various people as diverse as Alan Carr and Kylie Minogue.[8]
In episode "Tikka to Ride" of television series Red Dwarf, Cat says "We've been copied more times than the picture of the tennis girl scratching her butt!"[12][13]
In the satirical television series Spitting Image, the poster appeared in the background or was featured in a sketch a few times.[11][8]
It was also featured in an advertisement for a tennis video game called Davis Cup World Tour for the Sega Genesis / Mega Drive.[14]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d Sheppard, Fergus (6 July 2007). "70s poster icon is back, so anyone for Tennis Girl?". The Scotsman. http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=1052912007. Retrieved 2011-01-18.
- ^ Tennis poster girl and her classic pose Jul 13 2007. Birmingham Post.
- ^ South Wales Evening Post, Wednesday, March 23, 2011 (page 2). Picture perfect.
- ^ I was that cheeky tennis girl says 52-year-old mother of three by Nick Mcdermott. 23rd March 2011. Associated Newspapers Ltd.
- ^ a b www.metro.co.uk That poster is back - at £300 a print! (July 5, 2007)
- ^ Birmingham mail Will Oliphant. We've got to the bottom of a poster mystery! (July 12, 2007)
- ^ a b Andrew Hough, "'Tennis girl' poster photographer Martin Elliott dies of cancer", Daily Telegraph, 2 Apr 2010, [1]
- ^ a b c d "The Tennis Girl". Iconic Photos. http://iconicphotos.wordpress.com/2010/04/02/the-tennis-girl/. Retrieved 2011-01-18.
- ^ Sunday Mercury Adam Aspinall. Serial killer's deucey poster (June 11, 2006)
- ^ "Serial killer's deucey poster". Sunday Mercury. http://www.sundaymercury.net/lifestyle-news/tm_objectid=17216626&method=full&siteid=50002&headline=serial-killer-s-deucey-poster-name_page.html#story_continue. Retrieved 2009-08-07.
- ^ a b BBC News 2 April 2010 Tennis Girl poster photographer dies
- ^ "Red Dwarf: Tikka to Ride Trivia and Quotes". TV.com. http://www.tv.com/red-dwarf/tikka-to-ride/episode/10981/trivia.html. Retrieved 2011-01-18.
- ^ "Season VII: Tikka to Ride". The Red Dwarf Waves. http://www.fortunecity.com/lavendar/pulpfiction/407/ses7.htm. Retrieved 2011-01-18.
- ^ "Take advantage with Sony!". Game Dummy. http://www.gamedummy.com/2010/07/take-advantage-with-sega/. Retrieved 2011-01-18.
[edit] External links
- Birmingham Post Tennis girl Fiona Butler talks about the photoshoot in Birmingham that made her a poster icon
