THE RISING MIST - Book and Print Portfolio
by Robert Taylor
A tribute to the bomber crews of the U.S. Eighth Air Force
The Memphis Belle wasn’t the first heavy bomber in the Eighth Air Force to complete 25 missions; that honour fell to Hot Stuff, a Consolidated B-24 Liberator with the 93rd Bomb Group who completed her 25th mission on 7 February 1943. And the Memphis Belle wasn’t the first B-17 Flying Fortress either; Hell’s Angels, a B-17F flying out of Molesworth with the 303rd Bomb Group, claimed that distinction on 13 May. But the Memphis Belle was by far the most famous – thanks to the influence and glamour of a well-oiled public relations machine.
Touching down at their base at Bassingbourne on 19 May, six days after Hell’s Angels, the Belle did have the honour of being the first B-17 in the 91st Bomb Group to complete her 25 missions, ironically two days after her usual pilot, Captain Robert K. Morgan and most of her crew had done the same since they, like many crews, occasionally flew other aircraft. Bob Morgan was now ordered to bring the Belle and her crew home to America for a high-profile, morale-boosting, War-Bond selling tour. The following year, the crew of the Memphis Belle would feature in a movie directed and produced by the acclaimed Hollywood film director, William Wyler.
It is therefore no surprise that Robert has chosen the Memphis Belle to represent all the young bomber crews who flew with the Eighth Air Force during WWII in his detailed drawing ‘The Rising Mist’. Skilfully crafted in his unmistakable style Robert depicts the Memphis Belle at Bassingbourn, her home base, whilst the crew await the signal to start engines – once the sun has burnt off an early morning mist.
Following the success of Robert’s high quality Giclée fine art print editions such as ‘Camaraderie’ commemorating the Luftwaffe Fighter Aces of WWII and ‘Major Missions’ in tribute to the crews of RAF’s famous 617 Squadron, this latest piece remembers the bomber crews of the U.S. Eighth Air Force.
Adding great authenticity, each print has been hand signed and personally titled by the artist and is issued mounted to full conservation standards to include the original autographs of some of the most famous names to serve on B-17s during WWII, such as the Pilot and Captain of the Belle, Bob Morgan. Completing each portfolio is a matching-numbered copy of the book ‘The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress – In Air Combat Paintings by Robert Taylor’ produced exclusively for the release and beautifully illustrated from the archives of the Military Gallery using a selection of memorable Robert Taylor pieces featuring this legendary aircraft.
The Collector's Edition
Restricted to just FIFTEEN copies worldwide, each portfolio contains a copy of the book along with a matching-numbered print, conservation matted to include the signatures of fifteen highly-regarded veterans:
- Colonel Robert Morgan
- Lieutenant Colonel Jim Barker
- Captain Alvin Brown
- General Robert Burns
- Colonel William Lawley MOH
- Colonel Harry Mumford
- Lieutenant Colonel Robert Gossman
- First Lieutenant Charles 'Norm' Stevens
- Staff Sergeant PAUL CONSTANTINE ABRAHAMSON
- Staff Sergeant RAY L. MOORE
- Flight Lietenant Leonard L. Spivey
- Lieutenant Colonel Robert Kleyla
- Captain Robert Shoens
- Lieutenant Colonel Ralph Nutter
- General J. Kemp Maclaughlin
The Veteran's Edition
Featuring all components of the Collector’s Edition, this highly-prized Veteran's Edition is limited to only TEN copies worldwide and includes the additional autographs of a further ten B-17 veterans, creating a total of twenty-five signatures:
- Captain James A. Verinis
- Captain Charles Leighton
- Sergeant Harold Loch
- Sergeant Casmir Nastal
- Sergeant Johnny Quinlan
- Major General Robert Landry
- First Lieutenant LA Mitchell
- First Lieutenant Denny Thompson
- Captain Rolland H. Whited
- Lieutenant Colonel Robert W Dees
- Media:
- Lithograph and book set
- Size:
- 26 x 20 inches
- Release Date:
- 11/2021
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