Where to See WWII Nose Art Today
Museums, airshows, and the thirty-four surviving original panels. Your guide to seeing WWII nose art in person.
NAEC / Commemorative Air Force
Dallas, TX
World's largest collection of authentic WWII nose art: 34 hand-painted panels, Smithsonian-certified. The panels were saved by junkyard manager Minot Pratt at Walnut Ridge, Arkansas.
Visitors: Not published (47,000 sq ft facility)
National Museum of the USAF
Dayton, OH
Houses the fully restored Memphis Belle (B-17F), Bockscar (B-29, Nagasaki mission), and Strawberry Bitch (B-24D) in original desert camouflage.
Visitors: 800,000+ annually
Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum
Chantilly, VA (Udvar-Hazy Center)
Houses Shoo Shoo Baby (B-17G, with Tony Starcer's recreated nose art) and the Enola Gay (B-29). Also holds the Serotkin Nose Art Photography Collection.
Visitors: 1,000,000+ annually
National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force
Savannah, GA
Acquired 13 original Tony Starcer oil-on-canvas paintings. The most important single collection of nose art paintings by an identified WWII artist.
Visitors: Not published
National WWII Museum
New Orleans, LA
Largest WWII museum in the US. Extensive aviation exhibits. Published influential article on WWII nose art. Gift shop with challenge coins and aviation collectibles.
Visitors: 754,000+ annually
EAA Aviation Museum / AirVenture
Oshkosh, WI
Annual AirVenture airshow (686,000 attendees in 2024) features restored warbirds with nose art. EAA Museum has year-round aviation exhibits. 300,000 EAA members.
Visitors: 686,000 (AirVenture 2024)
Airshows with WWII Aircraft
Restored warbirds with recreated nose art fly at airshows across the country. The following events regularly feature WWII aircraft:
- •EAA AirVenture Oshkosh(July, Oshkosh, WI) — 686,000 attendees. The world’s largest aviation event. Multiple warbird displays.
- •Wings Over Dallas(Dallas, TX) — Commemorative Air Force flagship event. Flying nose art panels on display.
- •Mid-Atlantic Air Museum WWII Weekend(Reading, PA) — One of the largest WWII reenactment and airshow events in the Eastern US.
- •Commemorative Air Force Events— Over 70 CAF wings across 27 states host local events throughout the year.
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Painted for War
The Stories Behind WWII’s Most Famous Nose Art
Nobody told these stories. The mechanic who painted the Memphis Belle and spent the rest of his life in a warehouse. The RISD-trained muralist whose masterpiece was scrapped for two thousand dollars. The junkyard manager who sent his workers with axes to save pin-up girls from the smelter. Narrative nonfiction by Christopher Scott Lannon.