The Last of the First - Memphis Belle
Growing up as a kid, I had a poster on my bedroom wall of the B-17 Flying Fortress that combined the best of both the artistic and technical sides of the machine. The poster outlined various details of the most famous B-17 of all, "The Memphis Belle". I've always wanted to release a print of the "Belle", but where do you find parts for her? Well as things would turn out, a friend of mine (Glenn Parker - Majesticframes.com) and I worked on a few projects together and I discovered his long-time friendship with pilot Robert K. Morgan - the pilot of the "Memphis Belle".
After some discussion he offered me some of the last pieces he had acquired from one of the "Belle's" earliest restoration efforts. From 1987-2002 the "Memphis Belle" was relocated to Mud Island in Memphis, Tennessee under the supervision of the Memphis Belle Memorial Association (MBMA) where she was housed under a canopy and went through some initial restoration efforts. These aluminum skin fragments were from her original 1940's aluminum.
In honor of this important warbird and one of the most iconic symbols of World War II, the print "The Last of the First" by Craig Tinder will be limited to only 25 prints to coincide with the 25 missions she flew. All fragments include exterior paint and interior Zinc Chromate (lighter, yellow green to resist corrosion) while some include a rivet hole. Note - the darker exterior green used for an earlier
