Air-India/New York
Artist
S. N. Surti
Date1967
MediumPhoto-offset Lithograph
Dimensions38 1/2 x 25 1/4 in. (97.8 x 64.1 cm)
ClassificationsPoster
Credit LinePoster House Permanent Collection
Object numberPH.6844
DescriptionThe Maharaja appears here dressed as a Playboy Bunny, serving drinks to a young Hugh Hefner (founder of Playboy magazine) and his then-assistant/cartoon editor/girlfriend, Cynthia Maddox. Although Maddox herself never made Playmate of the Month, she appeared on the cover of Playboy five times before breaking it off with Hefner after he refused to marry her. The sexual impropriety suggested by the Maharaja’s costume here perfectly encapsulates the bawdiness that was so fundamental to his personality. Often shown seducing women—laying his coat over puddles in a gentlemanly manner or inviting them to sit in his lap in a less-gentlemanly one—the Maharaja was undeniably, and quite humorously, a total stud. The Maharaja was ultimately able to behave in ways that no other national icon would even consider. His cartoonish absurdity, roly-poly figure, and unabashed personality made him simply too unintimidating for his actions to be taken very seriously, thus enabling him to push the boundaries of sexual conduct within advertising. On View
Not on view
