Aviation Paintings

This well - preserved book shows both impressionist paintings and drawings of Canadian aeroplanes and airmen during the world wars.

From the early flights of the Silver Dart and its aircraft at Baddeck and Petawawa in 1909, Canadians had had a hint of the part that aircraft would play in their military history, yet it was not until the close of the First World War that the first Canadian squadrons were formed. Meanwhile, Canadians by the thousands had flocked to the British air services ; and the Bishops and Collishaws, Barkers and McLeods left an imperishable record. Unfortunately, only a handful of war paintings illustrate their accomplishments, in contrast with the attention that was focused on the Canadian Corps. When a second global conflict again brought Canada to arms, this disproportion of attention was not repeated, and in most theatres of war where Canadian airmen served, Canadian artists were on hand to give their own vivid impressions of the men and their arms.