A painter, Brand specialized in commercial art, fine oils …and pinups. “She was beautiful,” said a friend, “and used herself as a model for many of the pinups.”
Much of her work was used in advertising. While working for a New York ad agency in 1959, Brand got the commission to create a new image for Coppertone suntan lotion. Using her then-3-year-old daughter, Cheri, as a model (Cheri “worked cheap and was convenient,” Brand once said about that choice), she painted a dog pulling down the bikini bottom of a little girl, revealing a tan line. “Little Miss Coppertone” was born, and became a corporate icon.
Brand was paid $2,500 for the illustration. Sadly, the original was destroyed in a fire at Coppertone and, in a nod to political correctness, the girl’s rear is less exposed in modern versions. Joyce Ballantyne Brand died May 15 at her home in Ocala, Fla., after being treated for a heart attack. She was 88.