In 1954, Bettie Page was the top pin-up model in New York City. Every year, she made the trip down to Miami, Florida, and that annual pilgrimage would lead to one of the most talked-about photo shoots of her entire career. It was in Miami that Page crossed paths with photographers Jan Caldwell, H. W. Hannau, and former model turned photographer Bunny Yeager. Yeager wasted no time. She signed Page for a shoot at Africa USA, a wildlife attraction located in Boca Raton, Florida.
Africa USA was a sprawling open-air animal park that gave photographers access to exotic animals in an outdoor setting. For a pin-up shoot, the location was unlike anything being done in New York studios at the time. The combination of jungle scenery, Florida sunshine, and live wild animals made it the perfect backdrop for what Yeager had in mind.
The night before the shoot, Bettie Page sat down and sewed the outfit she would wear the next day. She made a leopard-print one-piece from scratch. The design had an off-the-shoulder Tarzan-style cut, a triangle front flap, and five thin ties running along the side. Page also made most of her own lingerie, but the jungle outfit she created for this particular shoot became one of the most recognized pieces in pin-up history.
When Page arrived at Africa USA, she was introduced to the two stars of the shoot — a pair of cheetahs named Moja and Mbili. The names come from Swahili, meaning “one” and “two.” Before the cameras started rolling, the animals’ trainer pulled Page aside with a serious warning: hold onto their chains at all times. If they got loose, he told her, they would be very difficult to catch.
The trainer also revealed that both cheetahs were ill that day and had been awake through the entire night before the shoot. Anyone who looks closely at the photographs can see it. The cheetahs’ eyes appear glassy and unfocused, a visible sign of their poor condition on that particular morning.
Despite the risks and the unpredictable nature of the animals, Page held her poses with total confidence. She gripped their chains, leaned in close, and let Yeager work. The resulting photographs show Page in her hand-sewn leopard print, with the two cheetahs flanking her or sitting at her feet, the Florida landscape filling the frame behind them.
Bunny Yeager had a sharp eye for natural light and outdoor composition. She had been a successful model herself before switching to photography, and she understood how to direct a subject in a way that felt relaxed rather than stiff. With Page in front of her lens, the two had an easy creative chemistry that shows in every frame.
The Africa USA shoot produced some of the most cherished photographs of Bettie Page’s entire career. The images stand out not just because of the exotic setting or the wild animals, but because of how naturally Page commands the scene. She looks completely at ease beside two sick, unpredictable cheetahs, wearing a costume she sewed herself the night before.
Page’s ability to make her own costumes gave her a creative control that most models of her era simply did not have. The leopard-print jungle outfit was not pulled from a wardrobe rack — it was designed and built by the woman wearing it, in one evening, with a clear vision of exactly what the shoot required.
Africa USA itself closed its doors years after the shoot took place, but the photographs Yeager captured there on that day in 1954 have never faded. Moja and Mbili may have been exhausted and unwell, the trainer may have issued stern warnings, and the whole setup was less than ideal — but none of that shows in the final images. What remains is Bettie Page, fierce and composed, surrounded by cheetahs, in a jungle print she made with her own hands.
