Mar 20 at 10:30 AM - Sale 2697 -
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Sale 2697 - Lot 298

Estimate: $ 4,000 - $ 6,000
(MILITARY--WORLD WAR TWO.) Keep Us Flying! Buy War Bonds. Poster, 27¾ x 20 inches; folds, minimal wear, a bit of foxing on lower edge; not backed. [Washington]: Government Printing Office, 1943
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Additional Details

The first poster to recognize the Tuskegee Airmen. The portrait was by Betsy Graves Reyneau, a white artist also famous for a portrait of George Washington Carver. Design for Victory, page 36; War Posters 263.

This was the personal copy belonging to the model for the photograph: Tuskegee Airman Lt. Robert W. Deiz (1919-1992) of Portland, OR. He flew 93 missions with the 99th Fighter Squadron.

With--two war-era snapshots of Deiz in uniform: one in an office, captioned "Uncle Bob"; and one in a parka captioned "Robert Deiz (Alaska)"; each 3½ inches square, with minor soiling. Also two clippings from the Portland Oregonian from circa November 1994 describing his service: "Deiz's photogenic good looks singled him out as a model for a war bonds poster by a visiting artist. Despite his reluctance to serve as the model for all African American airmen, Deiz's patriotic mein appeared below the slogan 'Keep Us Flying.'"

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