A DOV personal favorite, Sylvia McFarland was one of the first African American pin-up stars to acquire an international following beyond the sub-genre of "black models". It's pretty easy to see why - a petite yet shapely frame (she was no more than 5'4") with beautiful & incredibly bountiful (to say the least) breasts, plus a winning smile and natural way in front of the camera. A Caribbean goddess personified.

Sylvia was born in Detroit but grew up in Trinidad, and later wound up in the Bay Area where she took up modeling in the mid 1970s. As mentioned above, at the time most black models were relegated to small magazines specifically aimed at those tastes, but Sylvia was able to break that barrier and enjoyed a productive modeling career in mainstream publications around the world. It's easy to forget how few black performers were in the industry prior to the 1980s (this can be said for many industries, of course) - her fame & success were more of a landmark than perhaps most realize.

She quit the modeling life in the early 1980s but still remains a popular vintage model today, for obvious reasons. This is just a small medley of images, with more to come in a future gallery. Enjoy!