Dolores Erickson

American artist and model

Dolores Erickson (born September 1935)[1] is an American model and artist. She came to prominence by appearing as a model on a number of album covers, most notably Whipped Cream & Other Delights (1965) by Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass.

## Early life and modeling

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Erickson, the oldest of eight children,[2] was raised first in Port Angeles, Washington, before moving with her family to Seattle, Washington,[1] where she graduated from Cleveland High School in 1954.[3] She started her modeling career at 14[3] or 15[4] after winning a contest to model for the Seattle department store Frederick & Nelson.[3] In 1954, she won the Miss Maritime beauty pageant and in 1955 won Miss Greenwood and competed to be Seafair Queen.[1] She was also Miss Longshoreman.[4]

With two fellow Seafair Princesses, future actresses Dorothy Provine and Dyan Cannon, Erickson visited San Francisco, where she found work for Macy's department store,[2] earning $600 weekly at age 19. She left the University of Washington to pursue a modeling career, signing with the Ford Modeling Agency in New York City.[4] Erickson did photo shoots for fashion layouts and for cosmetics companies such as Max Factor,[4] and appeared on 13[1] or 18[2] album covers for artists such as the Kingston Trio (Sold Out), Cy Coleman (Piano Witchcraft), Nat King Cole (Wild Is Love), and The Sandpipers (Guantanamera).[1][2]

The modeling led in early 1960 to Paramount Pictures signing her as a contract player.[1] Her contract was later traded to Warner Bros.[2] She was scheduled to appear in the film The Pleasure of His Company and did have roles in Love in a Goldfish Bowl and Jerry Lewis' The Ladies Man. She also appeared in episodes of the TV detective shows Surfside 6 and 77 Sunset Strip and the comedy-drama Father Knows Best.[1][2]

## Whipped Cream & Other Delights

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Art director Peter Whorf, at the time engaged to Erickson's best friend, used Erickson on many Capitol Records shoots.[1] During this time, she became acquainted with trumpeter and A&M Records co-founder Herb Alpert, and watched part of the recording of The Lonely Bull album in Alpert's garage in 1962.[citation needed]

The photo shoot for the cover of the 1965 Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass album Whipped Cream & Other Delights — which remained in the Billboard top 10 for 61 weeks, and whose sexy cover became a cultural touchstone[4] — began in mid-morning, went on through the afternoon, and paid Erickson approximately $1,500 plus expenses.[1] The shoot took place in Whorf's studio, a converted garage. Erickson, 29 years old and three months pregnant, sat on a stool with a white Christmas blanket covering her from the waist down, and wore a bikini with the straps down. She then was covered with shaving cream, which (unlike whipped cream) would not melt under the hot photographic lights, with a dollop of whipped cream on her head.[3] As the shoot progressed, the shaving cream began to slide down her breasts slightly. Months later, Whorf sent her two outtakes.[1] When she saw the more risqué pictures, she took them over to a girlfriend's house and hid them behind the friend's refrigerator, not wanting her conservative husband to find them.[1][4] Initially, Alpert felt the cover image "was maybe pushing it a little too far ... I thought the censors would be down on it. But in 2006 it looks pretty darn tame."[5]

## Later years

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In the 1970s, Erickson returned to college, studying art in Portland, Oregon. She began painting, and owned the art gallery The Wild Deer, in Kelso, Washington, for a decade. As of the mid-2000s, she continued to paint what one newspaper called "Impressionist-style works in her duplex on Columbia Heights."[2]

## Personal life

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In the early 1960s Erickson was living in San Francisco. After signing a contract with Paramount Studios she moved to Los Angeles. Dolores later spent a year in Mexico modeling on contract for Lonka Becker before moving to New York, where she met and married businessman Bert Neirick.[1] with whom she had a son, Brett.[4] The couple divorced, and in the 1970s she married attorney Bob Huffhines Jr. They resided in Longview, Washington and were married for 42 years before divorcing.[2][3]

## References

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1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l McNertheney, Casey (August 16, 2012). "'Whipped Cream' record has sweet Seattle connection". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved October 24, 2015. "...Erickson, who turns 77 next month...."
2. ^ a b c d e f g h Paulu, Tom (July 31, 2005). "'Cream' rises again - What was it like to be the face of an era? Longview's Dolores Erickson gives us a glimpse". The Daily News. Longview, Washington. Archived from the original on March 16, 2015.
3. ^ a b c d e Lacitis, Erik (August 16, 2012). "Herb Alpert's 'Whipped Cream Lady' now 76, living in Longview and looking back". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015.
4. ^ a b c d e f g Grindeland, Sherry (July 21, 2000). "'Cream' girl still whips up the fantasies". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on November 26, 2015.
5. ^ Paumgarten, Nick (April 10, 2006). "Whipped Again". The New Yorker. Archived from the original on November 26, 2015.

## Further reading

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* "The Whipped-Cream Girl Speaks". Playboy. 52 (11). November 2005.

Authority control databases: Artists |

* MusicBrainz

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