Pauline Boty’s 1964 painting is one of her major works and the only one forming part of a series, together with It’s a Man’s World II from 1964–5.
The key and associated list below detail the individuals and objects that make up the work, which combines painted figures with collaged items pasted onto the canvas. Those items still requiring further identification here are marked with the code [TBC].
With much thanks to Andy Collis, Philippe Garner, James McDonald, Christopher Skelton-Davies at @country_house_obsession, Sue Tate and Geordie Torr for their additional input.
A note on this page
It is greatly hoped that this will provide a starting point for identifying all the items chosen by Boty for this work, and that in time the TBC suggestions given here might be confirmed one way or the other, and the sources identified.
All further comments, corrections and clarifications from visitors to the site in this regard would be greatly appreciated, via the Contact form here please: [link]
[1] Boeing B-52 Stratofortress
An American long-range, subsonic, jet-powered strategic bomber which has been in continuous use by the United States Air Force (USAF) since 1952.
Wikipedia entry here [link]
[2] United States Air Force (USAF) pilot
The source for the image has yet to be identified [TBC]
[3] Stately home
Based on the Palazzina di caccia of Stupinigi [one of the Residences of the Royal House of Savoy] in Northern Italy
Wikipedia entry here [link]
[4] Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. (January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016), nicknamed The Greatest, is widely regarded as one of the most significant and celebrated figures of the 20th century, and is frequently ranked as the best heavyweight boxer of all time.
Wikipedia entry here [link]
[5] Hermes and the Infant Dionysus (also known as The Hermes of Praxiteles or The Hermes of Olympia)
From an ancient Greek sculpture discovered in 1877 in the ruins of the Temple of Hera, Olympia, in Greece. It is traditionally attributed to Praxiteles and dated to the 4th century BC. This image is taken from the cover of Life magazine, June 18, 1962.
Wikipedia entry here [link]
[6] Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the “King of Rock and Roll”, he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural icons of the 20th century.
Wikipedia entry here [link]
[7] Thelonius Monk [TBC]
Thelonious Sphere Monk (October 10, 1917 – February 17, 1982) was an American jazz pianist and composer who had a unique improvisational style and made numerous contributions to the standard jazz repertoire. Monk was renowned for a distinct look which included suits, hats, and sunglasses. He is the second-most-recorded jazz composer after Duke Ellington.
Wikipedia entry here [link]
[8] American Plains Indian wearing feathered headdress warbonnet [TBC]
The feathered headgear is traditionally worn by male leaders of the American Plains Indians Nations who have earned a place of great respect in their tribe.
Wikipedia entry here [link]
[9] Marcel Proust
Valentin Louis Georges Eugène Marcel Proust (10 July 1871 – 18 November 1922) was a French novelist, critic, and essayist who wrote À la recherche du temps perdu, published between 1913 and 1927, which was read by Boty. Proust also appears in Boty’s collage Picture Show from c. 1960/61
Wikipedia entry here [link]
[10] Matador. Probably Manuel Benítez Pérez more commonly known as El Cordobés [TBC]
Manuel Benítez Pérez (born 4 May 1936) is a Spanish bullfighter, matador, and actor active in the 1960s who brought an unorthodox acrobatic and theatrical style to the bullring. He has additionally been known as “El Beatle”.
Wikipedia entry here [link]
[11] Rose
A recurring motif in Pauline Boty’s works, symbolising female sensuality and desire, eg in With Love to Jean-Paul Belmondo (1962) and 5-4-3-2-1 (1963).
[12] Federico Fellini and Marcello Mastroianni
Federico Fellini, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI (20 January 1920 – 31 October 1993) was an Italian film director and screenwriter recognised as one of the greatest and most influential filmmakers of all time. He was nominated for twelve Academy Awards, and won four in the category of Best Foreign Language Film, the most for any director in the history of the Academy. His films include La Strada (1954), Nights of Cabiria (1957), La Dolce Vita (1960) and 8½ (1963).
Wikipedia entry here [link]
Marcello Vincenzo Domenico Mastroianni (28 September 1924 – 19 December 1996) was an Italian film actor, regarded as his country’s biggest film star of all time. His films include: La Dolce Vita (1960), La Notte (1961) and 8½ (1963).
Wikipedia entry here [link]
This image is based on a photo taken by David Bailey of Fellini, Mastroianni and Jean Shrimpton for American Vogue, August 1963.
[13] Ringo Starr and John Lennon of The Beatles
Boty interviewed The Beatles for “The Public Ear”, fortnightly radio programme on culture and entertainment she presented between October 1963 and March 1964. She may also have met them when chosen as a dancer in the audience with Derek Boshier for Ready Steady Go! The photo was taken at Arlanda International Airport in Sweden on 23 October 1963, possibly by Robert Freeman.
Wikipedia entry here [link]
[14] Vladimir Lenin
Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov (22 April 1870 – 21 January 1924) served as the first and founding head of government of Soviet Russia from 1917 to 1924 and developed the variant of communist ideology known as Leninism.
Wikipedia entry here [link]
[15] Assassination of John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the 35th president of the United States, was assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald on Friday, November 22, 1963 in Dallas, Texas, while riding in a presidential motorcade through Dealey Plaza with his wife Jacqueline, Texas Governor John Connally, and Connally’s wife Nellie. This image is based on frame 308 of the widely-reproduced 8mm sequence shot by Abraham Zapruder.
Wikipedia entry here [link]
[16] Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein (German; 14 March 1879 – 18 April 1955) was a German-born theoretical physicist, widely acknowledged to be one of the greatest physicists of all time and best known for developing the theory of relativity.
Wikipedia entry here [link]
Pauline Boty 