Today’s a very early example of aircraft nose art, and something rarely seen in normal anthologies of the genre. A fine painting on the very nose of the nacelle of a Aviation Militaire Belge (Belgische militaire luchtvaart or Belgian Air Arm) Farman F-41.

Poster Zdeněk Skolil confirms it’s pilot 1st Sergeant Viscomte Maximilien Vilain XIII (left above) and his somewhat grumpy-looking observer Captain. Baron Roger de Kerchovede Denterghem at the Lewis gun.

But, despite such magnificent names, what we’re here to look at is a very classically created artwork featuring a bulldog in a circle ‘C’ on the very nose of their aircraft number 45. Zdeněk adds: “Most Belgian Farmans had quite a good nose art .” Today we expect nose art to be somewhat stylised, or often cartoon like. A naturalistic motif, that in style, could be mistaken for an oil paint miniature is very unusual.

James Kightly, Vintage Aero Writer.

From the WWI and Earlier Facebook page here.