Metal Canvas: Canadians and World War II Aircraft Nose Art

Laura Brandon is curator of war art at the Canadian War Museum.

Metal Canvas is a book for the military aviation historian and
enthusiast rather than the art historian or artist. It is, however,
unique, because it concentrates entirely on Canadian aircraft.
Representing an enormous amount of original research, its theme is the
images that Canadian airmen painted on their aircraft during World War
II. These images are referred to as “nose art.” Nose art was not in
any way, shape, or form a fine art. It was painted using whatever was at
hand, and its creators—usually airmen—drew most of their inspiration
from the cartoons of Walt Disney and the ubiquitous “pinup girls” of
the period.

The chapters are divided between the various types of aircraft that
Canadians flew during World War II, including Spitfires, Mosquitos, and
Wellingtons. In most cases, the planes no longer exist, so neither does
the art; thus the numerous black-and-white photographs of crewmen and
pilots alongside their creations that illustrate the book represent the
most complete record of this unique phenomenon. The men who flew the
aircraft and maintained them are also identified and indexed, which in
itself is something of an achievement.

Some idea of the nature and quality of the artwork is provided in a
special color section. Here, the unique collection of nose art (courtesy
of the Canadian War Museum collection) painted on Halifaxes provides
some idea as to the character of the depictions. Ranging from an elegant
portrayal of Quebec City to the raunchier Willie “The Wolf,” the
images speak of home, humor, adventure, and sex. That these examples
survived intact is also a remarkable story.

Popular culture is not a huge field of enquiry in Canadian military
history. This book makes a small but significant contribution to the
field, conveying in its wealth of images a particular sense of time and
place. Something of the experience of wartime flying and camaraderie
comes across in its pages, along with a sense of the sheer extent of the
Royal Canadian Air Force’s contribution to the Allies’ ultimate
victory.