All About Nose Art
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The History and Style of Aircraft Nose Art
This lens focuses on the history and style of aviation nose art, with a special focus on World War II, known as the Golden Age of nose art. It also provides a number of nose art resources across the web, including nose art photo collections, books, historical websites and nose art t-shirts and gifts.
Explore with me the humor, sadness, courage and fear expressed in this unique and colorful form of artistic expression. And, if you like this lense, please rate it, and comment!
Table of Contents
A Brief History of Nose Art
Though known today predominantly as an American art form, nose art has its roots in Europe, originating on the fighter aircraft of the Italian and German fronts of World War I. The first piece of nose art appeared in 1913, on the nose of an Italian flying boat, in the form of a sea serpent, while the Italian Ace Francesco Baracca built his reputation in a fighter plane painted with his 'cavallino rampante' (prancing horse), a design that would later be adopted by the Ferrari car company. The Germans followed suit by painting mouths beneath their propeller spinner; mouthed fighter planes would prove so popular that they would later be copied by both the Royal Air Force and, most famously, by the Flying Tigers American Volunteer Group. World War II - The Golden Age of Nose Art
World War II is known as the Golden Age of nose art, and for good reason. Thousands of nose art designs began to appear on the aircraft of both sides, covering a wide range of themes, styles, and motivations (see below). Nose artists, both professional civilian artists and talented airmen, were in high demand and, though not officially sanctioned, their aircraft "grafitti" was tolerated for its morale-boosting effects. War time often means limited supplies, however, and many artists were forced to make do with limited art supplies, paints and time.Perhaps the most enduring nose art, the shark face of the 1st American Volunteer Group 'The Flying Tigers', made its first appearance not on American planes, but rather in the Luftwaffe 76th Destroyer Wing. The RAF 112 Squadron borrowed the shark face for itself, which then inspired AVG pilots to follow suit late in 1941.
Nose Art 1945 - Today
The Korean War continued the nose art tradition, though changes in military policy and the attitude toward representing women caused much of the previously popular pin up nose art to heavily decline. The Vietnam War saw helicopters and AC-130s adorned with modernized nose art, with some of the nose art being officially adopted as a squadron's official insignia.Nose art saw another revival during Operation Desert Storm and Operation Iraqi Freedom, with unofficially sanctioned (and fully clothed) pin ups returning to the sides of aircraft. The continuation of historic names like "Memphis Belle" and "Old Crow Express" was encouraged. Unfortunately, despite the USAAF returning to the use of pin ups in their nose art, the British Ministry of Defense banned the use of pin up nose art in 2007, claiming that the artwork (many containing naked women) was inappropriate and offensive to female personnel, though there were no documented complains.
Aviation Nose Art T-Shirts
Military nose art tee shirts and other gifts
featuring both cartoon and pin up nose art!
See the complete nose art t-shirt collection here
Common Themes, Styles and Motivations
In addition to raising morale, nose art helped pilots, bomber crews and fighter squadrons express their personalities, memories, hopes, and fears.
World War II nose art often played with the popular culture of the day, including pin up girls like Rita Hayworth and Betty Grable, and cartoon characters like Bugs Bunny, Donald Duck, and Popeye. Concepts of fortune and luck also played heavily on the metal canvas, with images of shamrocks, lucky horseshoes, and Lady Luck a common choice for crews facing a potentially unsuccessful mission.
Where there's fortune there's often fate, and this darker side appears as well, with Grim Reapers, skeletons and demons serving simultaneously as memento mori for the crew members and as threats for the enemy. Patriotism and hometown pride were also a common theme, including mocking images of Hitler, muscled Uncle Sams, agressive threats against the enemy, and cartoon or pin up art with a state or city name attached, like the famous "Memphis Belle" or "Texas Stud." Above all, scantily clad girls (either old flames from back home or inspired by the work of artists like Elvgren and Vargas) adorned the sides of many WW2 aircrafts, serving as the spirit of victory for the crew.
Famous Nose Art
Some of the best known nose art pieces:
Nose Art and Pin Ups on Amazon
Nose Art Links and Resources
Some of my favorite Nose Art Sites
- Aviation Nose Art T-Shirts
- The result of countless hours spent researching and lovingly reproducing classic nose art can be seen at www.bad-penny.com, where you can buy some of the best quality nose art tee shirts and other nose art swag on the internet. These aren't just photos - everything has been redrawn by hand!
- The Work of Glen Angus
- The online portfolio of the late, great Glen Angus. I stumbled across this great artist's gallery a few years ago and instantly fell in love with his paintings of Nose Art victory girls come alive.
- Luc's Nose Art Photo Hangar
- A great collection of nose art photos from WWII and Korea
- Nose Art Panel Reproductions
- These guys make awesome nose art reproductions.
Guestbook Comments
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vallain Sep 4, 2011 @ 7:50 pm | delete
- These are fun graphics and I can see how they would cheer up the pilots in stressful times.
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by bad-penny
Lover of pin up art, aviation nose art, geekdom and pop culture.
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