Of all the photographs of World War II, my favorites are those of nose art on bombers and fighters. I could browse all day through those old photos of the crew surrounding the works of art that they've painted below the cockpit of their aircraft. Most of the women that are depicted are idyllic recreations of girls from back home, usually scantily clad and in immodest poses. But this was war and these boys needed a little reminder of the girl next door from home.
This art form, commonly called nose art, lived on after World War II, Korea, and the Vietnam War in the form of tattoo art and classic pin up girl photographs and paintings. If you look closely at old school tattoo flash art, especially those of pin up girls, you'll notice a great similarity to the nose art of World War II. The lines and curves mimic those of the painters of nose art during wartime.
When most people think of nose art, they think only of pin up girls and other scantily clad women. If someone really digs into old photographs of nose art of airplanes, they will find many other genres as well. Popular motifs included cartoonish bomb drop scenes, caricatures of Axis power leaders and quasi-military markings on the noses of their war birds. Most nose art also contains the motto of the crew, or a pet name of the woman featured in the painting.
Many crews named their "girl" after a wife or girlfriend, while others took their girl's name from popular movies or songs of the time. The artists were usually crewmen or simply another soldier, airman, sailor, or Marine that happened to be on the base at the time and were sometimes even hired out to other crews in exchange for services or needed commodities. Out of these servicemen cum artist, only a few were actually talented painters in their own right. Those few would have their talents put to use very often as new crews brought in their aircraft for repairs or munitions, or whenever a plane came in for bodywork due to battle damage.
The next time you see a piece of pin-up art or nose art, take a moment to remember those brave airmen who manned the aircraft in hostile actions in a plane that bore an image of a sensual beauty that constantly reminded those men what waited for them back home.
Rock Artist Studios sell a large range of classic wartime sweetheart graphics in the form of vinyl decals and pin-up stickers. As well as the Lethal Threat pin-up decals, be sure to check out the retro pin-up sticker ranges too.
