Save The Girls!

Art... naughty, inspirational, male oriented, completely improper in our current repressive society-

THIS was what helped win WWII.

Men gave their planes life- and they painted their heart's delight.



"Save The Girls" is the ongoing project of The American Airpower Heritage Museum, and "the girls" are the female forms- clothed and naked, lusty and funny- that our fighting men of 60 years ago so lovingly put on as "nose art". The pictures are in danger- they have been saved, but have not been treated. There has never been enough money to transport these airplane pieces to restoration sites, and not enough money to take care of them. From Their Web Site:
"In the fifty-year period since the artists and servicemen completed their works of nose art, the collection has suffered from improper storage, causing severe oxidation and degradation. Damage and fragility of many of the pieces make them unsuitable for display or travel to a restoration site. Expediency in restoring these artifacts is critical not only because of their fragile condition, but because with every passing day pieces of their history may be lost.

In 1992, a conservator assessed the collection recommending that it be regarded as rare art and be completely restored and displayed in a climate-controlled environment. The fragile condition of the nose art collection, coupled with the aging WWII population offers a precarious window of time after which these epochal stories may be lost forever. After intense research several of the pieces remain unidentified. Display of the collection would most certainly perpetuate the research effort."

Visit their site, buy some cards, send a donation, show some support.