| Playboy was first published in November 1953 when Hugh Hefner was 27.
This first issue deliberately had no date. The first issues were prepared in
Hefner's first floor apartment at 6052 S Harper Av in Chicago. By March 1954,
Art Paul and a secretary were hired to work full time. The office was moved to a
4 room apartment on 11 E Superior Street. By December 1956, the offices were
moved into an air conditioned building at 232 E Ohio Street on the near North
Side. The staff numbered over 30. |
The first centerfolds for
Playboy were not actually taken by Playboy photographers. Playboy
purchased nude photographs from calendar pinup photographers (notably
Baumgarten Calendar Company, which supplied the famous Marilyn Monroe
picture). The first Playmate to pose for Playboy directly was Eve Meyer,
for the June 1955 issue. The last anonymous Playmate was Lynn Turner, in
the January 1956 issue. |
