Bombs Away!- Vintage Nose Art

Paramount to pin-up culture is the phenomena of pin-up flavoured nose-art.  For those unfamiliar with nose art, it is a form of graffiti art whose canvas is the nose and fuselage of military aircraft.  Nose art originated in 1913 and became a standard amongst several squadrons during the first world war.  Although the nose art of that era usually took the form of troop insignias and various graphic representations of death from above mantras.


The practice of painting babes on planes really took off (like the pun?) during the second world war, corresponding with the explosion of pin-up photographs being used to rouse the morale of military men.  And rouse them they certainly did.  Soon, thousands of planes were emblazoned with the hypersexualized images of pin-up girls in revealing fatigues, patriotically waving a flag wearing next to nothing, or (as in the final image displayed in this post) nothing at all.  Enjoy!