From The DaileyBulletin.com
High-Flying Art: Sisters pay homage to another era with vintage symbols
Diana Sholley, Staff Writer
Ferocius white teeth painted on P-51s conjure up images of the fearless Flying Tigers.
VICTORY GIRL NOSE ART
Who: Painted by sisters Jerri Bergen and Terri Polley
Where: Cable Airport
Information: (760) 212-9806, (909) 815-4895,
www.victory-girl.com
Also: Bergen and Polley are available to give presentations on the history of nose art
The silhouette of a long, lean lady in high heels and a ruby swimsuit on the front panel of a B-17 is easily recognized as the Memphis Belle.
Animals, warriors, cartoon characters and girls, girls, girls were painted on thousands of Warbirds during World War II, and on fighter planes ever since.
Each emblem, each symbol was far from random - and they were not standard Army issue. Every picture told a story. And it was these stories that prompted Jerri Bergen and Terri Polley to start Victory Girl, a business specializing in recreating nose art on planes, murals, apparel, steel panels and decals.
Bergen and Polley, identical twins, are both talented artists. They also share an interest in World War II, the aircrafts that flew during that time and aviation throughout the ages. Their interest in planes was solidified when both married pilots.
"Our husbands are both very supportive of us opening this business," said Polley with a smile. "It keeps us around the airport."
Victory Girl is headquartered in a hangar at Upland's Cable Airport. Its office is modeled after a World War II barracks and shares the space with four private planes.
"Nose art is a form of artistic expression," Polley said. "G.I.s would get homesick. They wanted to paint things on planes, mainly girls, that would remind them of home..."
And doing the twin thing, as Polley took a breath, Bergen continued, "What they'd paint on the nose of their plane was what took them into battle and what they counted on to bring them home."
Bergen explained that usually the aircraft's crew got together and talked about the nose logo, but in the end, it was the pilot's call.
Many pilots also would have their flight jackets painted to match their planes. Bombs signified how many missions flown, one flag for each plane shot down and one ship for each one sank.
Since there are so many people who don't know much about nose art, where it came from and what it means, Bergen and Polley have created a 40-minute presentation on the subject.
They volunteer their time speaking at various service clubs and organizations in hopes of raising awareness for a time-honored and powerful art form.
"We've done a lot of research," said Bergen, who worked at Boeing for 20 years. "We bring slides and tell stories and these stories are amazing."
Stories could include a pilot's tribute to a girl back home who the pilot plans to marry when the war is over. It could be something from a devoted son.
And then there's Lt. Rodger Putnam.
The girls love to tell the story of this P-38 pilot and the unusual quip, "Rodger the Lodger, by God," he had painted on the plane's nose. With a little searching Bergen and Polley found it came from a limerick:
There was a young lady from Cape Cod.
Who thought all good things came from God.
But it was
not the Almighty
That lifted her nightie.
It was Roger the Lodger by God.
"That always gets a laugh," Bergen said and continued on to another popular anecdote. "Walt Disney was big into nose art. He was a volunteer ambulance driver in World War I and had drawn cartoon characters on his ambulance."
Bergen and Polley went on to explain how World War II soldiers wrote Disney and asked for his input, suggestions and renderings to reproduce on their aircrafts. In the beginning, he created and answered each request personally.
Eventually he hired five artists to assist him and together they sent more than 1,200 logos overseas.
"Disney was a pacifist so he tended to lean toward the humorous characters," Bergen said.
One of the most popular symbols for military aircrafts was the female form - lovely ladies wearing very little. Many were "Vargas" girls.
"Alberto Vargas was an artist in the 1930s who took photos for Esquire magazine," Polley said. "He started photographing these pin-ups, the magazine was sent overseas and subscriptions quadrupled."
To maintain the integrity of the original artwork, Bergen and Polley try to recreate it just as it first appeared - misspellings and all. One such piece is "Late Night Liason," a vivid red circle featuring the back side of a woman undressing. Yes, they said, they know it really should be "liaison," but that's not how it was on the original.
Painting pin-ups on planes is considered an American art form, however, the two women's research revealed that nose art started with the Italians and Germans.
"When planes were first being used in the military, there were no required markings," Bergen said. "(The Italians and Germans) would use wild paint schemes to identify who to shoot at and who not to shoot."
Bergen and Polley paint murals and also create original art for clients, but most request vintage designs that bring back a memory of a loved one or a significant historical date. To preserve the art form, the sisters contract with various museums to assist in the restoration of War Birds.
They also donate their talents to nonprofit groups, most recently a mural for the Claremont branch of Ability First, an organization serving those with autism, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, epilepsy and other neurological and physical disabilities.
"Terri and I, we love art. It's our passion," Bergen said. "Our work, well it's not work to us. We get to create something lasting. It's preserving a piece of history and in some small way, you get to leave your mark."
- Diana Sholley can be reached at (909) 483-9381 or at
d_sholley@dailybulletin.com.
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This story paints a pretty picture
Robbie
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