Peggy Lee And Her Shadow
Tracing the visual marks of Is That All There Is?
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In early June, my best friend led me on a scavenger hunt down alleyways, past hoards of antiques, to find a hole-in-the-wall record store in Hastings, England. Courthouse Records, a tiny music haven, finally pronounced itself amongst the twists and turns. An affinity for 7” records, the walls were decorated with the small discs, and the tables were covered in boxes to scour through. Upon my friend Natalie picking out Peggy Lee’s Is That All There Is? to bring home to New York, the owner excitedly rifled through his store to find the Blondie 7”, (I’m Always Touched By Your) Presence, Dear.
Lying the two records side by side, he motioned at the similarities between the two covers (a man after my own heart). He had no doubt that Blondie was paying homage to Peggy, with a portrait on white against a grand expanse of negative space. Both women’s eyes are noticeably alluring and striking. Debbie Harry’s sketch leans Warholian, reminiscent of the pop artist’s monochromatic screenprints created during the same era as the release (sans the bright colors). The illustration of Peggy by William George seems unfinished. Yet, upon further inspection, includes every detail needed to recognize the singular Lee: her beauty spot and the gesture of a blonde tendril.
Two months after England, with the comparison living (happily) rent-free in my head, British indie darlings Bar Italia announced their third album, Some Like It Hot. Referring to the 1959 film of the same name starring Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis, and Jack Lemmon, the album cover features an illustrated pair of batting eyes with dramatically arched eyebrows against a sweep of white. The wink was most likely pulled from Monroe’s cheeky facial expression on the movie poster. With arms wrapped around both her costars, Marilyn hangs over Tony and Jack in a plunging lacey black dress, flashing her notorious sex symbol stardom.
The “male gaze,” as The New Yorker writes, was popularized “by the British film theorist Laura Mulvey, who wrote, in a 1973 essay called ‘Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema,’ of how the ‘male gaze projects its fantasy onto the female figure, which is styled accordingly.’” Peggy and Marilyn (both coincidentally born Norma) came to fame before this progressive idea was formed. The male gaze, in fact, distinguished their images as blonde bombshells despite their talent. In these three sketches of Peggy, Debbie, and Marilyn, which, funnily enough, showcase literal depictions of feminine gazes, the fantasy remains, even in the simplest pen and line sketches.
Before Norwegian duo Smerz released their highly acclaimed album, Big City Life, they released an EP in 2024 called Allina. On the cover, a pair of pink bedazzled eyes (brows and lids galore) seductively glance back at the viewer. One might imagine the eyes belong to a showgirl or a drag queen, evoking a mysterious persona. This gaze is the most maximalist of the bunch, resembling a photograph more than an illustration. Yet, an empty white background once again accompanies it, tying it back to Peggy Lee’s influence.
Disappointingly, all of the expressions on the four covers exist within the same range of emotion. There are no sullen, confused, or scared pairs of eyes on these covers. The one time the world saw Marilyn Monroe with her guard down was captured by Richard Avedon in 1957. Even Doja Cat, whose team created promotional illustrations in the realm of 80s Grace Jones to advertise all six vinyl variants of her latest album, Vie, didn’t experiment with expressions. The only detail that sets them apart is the makeup color palette.
The album art for Is That All There Is? is a beautiful example of simplicity, but also perhaps an early lesson in feminine caricature that hasn’t progressed since.
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