WWII Polish soldiers pen and ink illustrations - Eagle Owls - set of 3
Interesting collection of three pen and ink illustrations of Polish soldiers that were originally drawn for a newspaper or magazine. They were originally framed. When we took them out of the frame, we began to piece together information based on the writing that was covered by the matting. Here's what we think we know:
- all three probably came out of a sketchbook as all of them have drawings on the reverse.
- based on the markings, we are sure they were drawn for a publication
- they are numbered 1, 4 and 15 meaning they may have been part of a series
- the writing is in both Polish and English
- one is labeled Niezanani Zotnierze, or Unknown Soldiers.
- one is labeled The Falcons and Puchacz, which translates as Eagle Owl. The Lviv Eagle Owls Night Fighter Squadron was one of 15 airborne squadrons of the Polish armed forces from 1940-45.
Don't buy based on what we think we know. Buy based on what you see. Regrettably, none are signed.
We did not place them back in their frames because 1) no one wants to pay to ship glass, 2) the frames were pretty meh to start with and 3) they should be framed between 2 pieces of glass so you can appreciate the context clues.
There was a lively discussion about if these were from WWI or WW2. It was going to come down to best 2 out of 3 falls in the parking lot, but in the interest of team harmony, we decided to leave that open to the buyer's interpretation. (Except I typed the listing, I think they're WWII and I put it in the title because no one could stop me.)
SIZE overall paper size on each--largest 14" x 11.5", medium 12.5" x 9.5", smallest (which we left hinged to the mat) 8.25" x 8.25"
CONDITION The paper is somewhat fragile. One tear has been reinforced with magic tape. They are exactly what you see. These were never intended to be framed art, they were gesture drawings done in the field for a work assignment. We love them. And yes, we'll pack them carefully.
This is a vintage item. It has been used and loved and it has a history. Please examine photos carefully and ask questions. We want you to love your find.
