Vintage hand painted leather? This kind of stuff will never be considered uncool:
At the beginning of the war, Army Air Corps members were issued the most badass jacket in the military, the leather A-2—which had been the standard leather flight jacket since 1931. In WWII, these jackets became a canvas for teenage flyers to express their rugged individuality. They’d get the backs painted, and often these images included the plane’s nickname and little bombs to tally how many missions the crew flew. On the front, personalized patches would often indicate one’s squadron or bomb group.
Very interesting stuff… make sure you read the whole history and check out more pictures over at Collectors Weekly.
They recommend these two books; American Flight Jackets, and Art of the Flight Jacket if you really want to go way down the flight jacket rabbit hole.
Although more than one jacket may have been painted with the same or similar designs, the nature of leather, how it wears, and the subtle differences in hand painting make each one unique.
