This is an original painting on board of the Texas Doll nose art from the B-29 Superfortress that flew in the 497th Bomb Group. This original illustration is the work of Texas artist Ben James and was part of his personal collection. It is one of six original nose art pieces we have available. Each pieces was hand drawn by the artist and then painted in the bright vibrant colors you see her. This piece is signed and dated 2004 on the reverse.
The practice of having a painted insignia or design on the fuselage of an aircraft, usually on the front fuselage, are often referred to as Aircraft Nose Art or Bomber Art. Placing personalized emblems on fighting aircraft began in the early 1900’s with Italian and German pilots. The first recorded piece of nose art was a sea monster painted on an Italian flying boat in 1913. During World War II the use of famous actresses and pinup girls became very popular among the various groups and squadrons.
The 497th Bombardment Group was a group of the United States Army Air Forces and Twentieth Air Force during World War II. The 497th flew the Boeing B-29 Superfortress and were engaged in very heavy bombardment operations against Japan. Its aircraft were identified by a “A” and a square painted on the tail. They flew from 1943 to 1946.
- Historical photos are for reference only and are not included with this artwork. Any copyright or trademark of these images remains the property of its respective owner(s)
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ARTIST: Ben James (1949-2016) PERIOD: 2004 COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: United States MATERIALS: Gouache on board HEIGHT: 24 in. (61 cm) WIDTH: 24 in. (61 cm) DEPTH: .13 in. (.3 cm) CONDITION: Excellent original condition.
