Item Description
Original Item. One-of-a-Kind. Joaquin Alberto Vargas y Chávez was a Peruvian-American painter of pin-up girls. He is often considered one of the most famous of the pin-up artists, and as one of the pioneers of airbrush art. Numerous Vargas paintings have sold and continue to sell for tens of thousands around the world. During World War II, American pilots & crew were known to paint their A-2 Flight jackets with pin-up girls, some of which were used for their B-17/B-24 bomber’s nose art. This is a gorgeous example of an A-2 Jacket used by an Aerial Gunner serving in the 8th Air Force.
The back of the jacket is gorgeously painted with the Varga Pin-up girl from the May 1944 Esquire Magazine calendar, with a large set of Aerial Gunner’s wings behind her. The caption that originally accompanied this pin-up girl reads:
I’m on the spot this balmy May,
Your presence is denied me!
But I’m not blue… I’ll wait till you
Are on the spot… beside me!
The pin-up girl is positioned in the well-known “as above, so below” pose. The front of the jacket is painted on the right breast with a large 8th Air Force insignia with a B-17/B-24 Bomber painted over it. The paint is a bit worn as shown but is still very discernable, a testament to its age and authenticity. The interior of the jacket retains its original liner and tag. The Aerial Gunner’s enlisted man's laundry number, M-7709, is stenciled below the tag. This laundry number brought up 97 results on the WWII US Army Enlistment Records website, and we are confident that with enough work, going through the 97 names would eventually bring up the soldier who wore this. This could be done by using the term “8th Air Force” or “Aerial Gunner” and cross-referencing them with the names of the soldiers until a match comes up either in the form of an obituary or a wartime article about the soldier’s service. This jacket is a fantastic research project!
The tag in the jacket reads:
TYPE A-2
DWG. NO. 30-1415
A.C. CONTRACT
ORDER NO.W33-038A.C.-1755(11631)
PROPERTY
AIR FORCE U.S. ARMY
J.A. DUBOW MFG. CO.
CHICAGO, ILL.
36
The jacket is in size US 36 and has retained all period original components including the original knit waist band and sleeve cuffs, something we often see replaced on A-2 jackets that saw extensive service. Also original is the TALON brand zipper which is functional. Also, attached to the collar latch is a period ACME Thunderer Whistle, made in England. This is entirely original to the jacket and was absolutely acquired by the gunner while stationed in England.
This is an incredible example of a hard to find painted A-2 jacket, offered in wonderful display condition. The laundry number makes for a fantastic research project, and it’s excruciatingly difficult to find a period depiction of the work of the famed Alberto Vargas. Comes more than ready for further research and display.
- This product is available for international shipping.
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