Bruce Whitman Aviation Art Collection

The Bruce Whitman Aviation Art Collection is a collection of artwork including a drawing, posters, lithographs, photographs, and advertisements primarily related to American military aviation from about 1917 to the early 1950s. The materials were grouped by subject and then arranged alphabetically.

The majority of materials are related to either World War I or World War II. Most of the lithographs and posters consist of U.S. Army, Army Air Forces, and Navy recruiting, enlistment, and propaganda posters. One item of note is an original drawing of a USAAF Lockheed P-38 Lightning, which would have been used to create posters for distribution. There are also a few illustrative lithographs depicting military aircraft.

The collection includes a few non-military aviation items such as magazine advertisements, including ones for TWA and Mobiloil; a poster for the 1939 New York World's Fair; and a photomechanical print of an American Airlines plane.

The majority of items are vintage posters, prints, and lithographs, but a few items are modern reproductions.

Digitized Materials: Most of Series I (World War I) and Series II (World War II) and a selection of items from Series III (Commercial and other military aviation) have been digitized from this collection.

Please note that materials on TMOF: Digital Collections are presented as historical objects and are unaltered and uncensored. See our Disclaimers and Policies page for more information.