Alberto Vargas joined the Ziegfeld Follies as an artist for them. He would paint the portraits of all the stars that were a part of the Follies. This was Vargas’ first real work coming to the United States from Peru in 1916. He was forced to come to the United States by his father Max Vargas because of the war that raged across Europe. Vargas’ original plan of going to Paris was on halt, because the war added certain travel restrictions. The Ziegfeld Follies were a group of women that performed in New York on Broadway that was run by Florenz Zeigfeld Jr. There were many that wanted to be a part of this group, but out of the 15,000 women that would try out yearly, only about 3,000 were chosen. When Vargas first walked through New York, he fell in love with one of the Zeigfeld Follies right away, her name was Anna Mae Clift. She let him paint her free of charge, and this led him to doing work for Floerenz Zeigfeld Jr. who was the owner of the Follies. He was hired to paint showgirls for announcements and signs that would be at the theater entrance. He worked for the Follies from 1919-1930, as this was his first real work in the United States, and he was able to start making a name for himself as a recognized painter. He eventually married Mae Clift, and they moved to Hollywood for bigger opportunities for Vargas as a painter and Mae Clift as a model. 

Citations

“El Andar: Spring 2000.” Www.elandar.com, www.elandar.com/back/spring00/stories/story_obsession.html. Accessed 2 Apr. 2023.

Inc, M. Shanken Communications. “The Real Vargas.” Cigar Aficionado, www.cigaraficionado.com/article/the-real-vargas-6097. Accessed 2 Apr. 2023.