USMC Aviation Patch Designs found in Museum Archive

[gwb123]

This story popped up on my Facebook feed a couple of days ago, but now looking at it I am not sure how old it is.

 

https://www.usmcmuseum.com/world-war-ii-marine-corps-aviation-insignia.html

 

"Tucked away in the very top of the flat files, we discovered a treasure trove of artwork. One after another, illustration board after illustration board came out, some with very familiar characters and bearing very recognizable artist signatures. Here, a black sheep and stars in casein paint; there, a screen print of Bugs Bunny, ready for a boxing match. Further on an unmistakable Walt Disney signature. I could tell this day was not going to be as routine as I had expected. Within the next 20 minutes, a large conference table was covered with artwork dating from World War II, and the Museum’s curators dropped what they were doing to take a look at the new discovery.

 This day marked the beginning of an exciting project that lasted the entire summer. Nearly 150 pieces of original World War II-era artwork depicting Marine Corps aviation squadrons had been discovered, and the pieces needed to be researched, accessioned, cataloged, and scanned. Mediums varied from conté crayon and graphite to watercolors and gouache paint. The origin of the collection remains murky. There is no record of the artwork being donated or transferred to the Museum. However, it is clear that most of the works had been submitted for a National Geographic special edition magazine in 1944 that highlighted insignia artwork produced during the war years. Many bear a stamp dated 1944 that cleared them for publication, and a small paper taped on the back states that the artwork was sent to the magazine. These indicators helped to authenticate the pieces as originals."

 

 

[mortaydc60]

Unbelievable find. My question is how did this remain hidden all these years that is pretty bad. Atleast it is out but 70years late.

[walika]

I had seen the original post on the Marine Corps Museum web page some years ago, but it's nice to see it again.

[jerry_k]

Wow incredible find, thanks for the link!

 

Jerry