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Posted 2 years ago
JimLinderman
(160 items)
One day someone will write a book on the relationship between the rudimentary graphics of World War Two and tattoo art, pin up art and the comics. Maybe I will!
Countless cartoonists, illustrators and Vintage Sleaze artists began their careers drawing for their foxhole friends, mostly for duffel bags, helmets and such. Amateur pinups for the guys in the barracks. Most of the soldiers were barely out of high school, and what should have been drawn in schoolbooks and scratched onto desks were being created as diversions for patriotic young cannon fodder.
Death became a game. It had to. We were losing the war, and encouraging a little more war fever with a clever drawn gag didn't hurt. War is ugly and the furthest thing from funny, but gallows humor thrives in the face of atrocity, and many a bomb was decorated with humorous graffiti before being dropped.
The illustrations here come from an enormous collection of circa 1940 paper decals I found this weekend. All anonymous. All are on scraps of waxy paper, and I believe they are intended to be applied to uniforms, helmets and footlockers. I cleaned up and isolated the images from the paper backing. Anyone with more information on either the artist or the use of these graphic appliques of doom are encouraged to write.
World War Two decals circa 1940 collection Jim Linderman
Dull Tool Dim Bulb
PaperBefore the Internet reduced all correspondence and information to colorless…
World War TwoThe events and battles of World War II played out on every continent of the…
Fantastic find,please post more pictures.Ron
wow!!!!!!!!! very cool!!!!!!!!!!!! you should have those professional framed and matted .
Thanks for sharing. With some research it should be possible to pin these down to specific sqaudrons.
What a GREAT find!
Scott
INDEED, and more information has turned up. See original Posting on Dull Tool Dim Bulb the Blog