Italian aircraft photo source

[Todd Holaday]

This site has 100's of photos of different aircraft in Italy.  Difficult to navigate as it is in Italian, but manageable.  (for me, not Edo )

http://www.14-18.it/liste/soggetti/29230

[uncletony]

Very cool

[Edo]

Difficult to navigate?..  why you say that?! 
Very cool site!
Thank you for the link!

Ciao
Edo

[Todd Holaday]

Searching for more information on the 80 Squadron Happy Hooligan/Fortunello motif has been a very interesting study so far.  I'm still struggling to find a source for more than about six images of these planes.  However, I have found some interesting information.  The writer of the Happy Hooligan strip was american, from Ohio not far from where I live.  Happy Hooligan was particularly popular in Italy for some reason (I'm hoping to get an Italian article translated for me to learn why).  A poet at the time of WW1 makes reference to it being the most popular strip in Italy. 

One plane, #2140, has a picture of what at first appears to be a an old man crying with missing teeth.  The pilot Michelle Alesio however is quoted as making reference to it being a drawing of the son of Happy Hooligan laughing which should bring him good luck.  Happy Hooligan had no sons in the comic strip, he was a hobo and unmarried.  However, the writer did want to introduce children into the strip and gave him 2 nephews and a niece who often appear crying at the end of the strip as Happy is "pinched" (arrested).  Side note the hat he and his nephews/niece weare is a tin can upside down (he is a hobo after all).  The kids interestingly have identical faces and often speak/act in unison.  They are thought to be the inspiration for the Disney' Donald Duck nephews - Huey, Duey and Louie. 

I've been looking through the Ohio State University archives at Happy Hooligan strips circa 1903.  It's obvious a drawing of one of these nephews is the character on 2140.  I haven't found an exact match to a strip yet, but the theme of them with their mouths wide open crying is oft repeated.

I'm waiting presently on the Italian aces book from Osprey.  I know it has a page with some of this information on it.

[GAJouette]

 Todd,
Thanks for the outstanding link my friend.
Highest Regards,
Gregory Jouette

[RussellSmith]

Todd, it looks like you've already found more information on the Happy Hooligan than what you'll find in the Italian Aces book. The page on Michele Allasia simply mentions a letter home in which he says "The son of Fortunello who laughs is painted on my aircraft. I hope that it will bring me good luck."

I speak some Italian. I could try to help you with your article if you like.

Ironically enough, I am currently working on a depiction of Allasia's Nieuport. The pencil study is done and I now trying to get some other projects out of the way so that I can find time to start the actual painting.

[Todd Holaday]

Russell,

Beautiful work on the line art drawing along with everything else you do.  Fantastic.  I have a few more bits of info to add.  There is an interesting thread on the picture you linked here: http://combatace.com/topic/64692-its-time-to-play-whos-paint-is-this/page__st__80 .  Edo was kind enough to translate the article for me.  The article was by an Italian poet re the Fortunello cartoon characters and according to Edo was written in old Italian and mostly just describing the characters of comic strip.

The cartoon database at Ohio State University has a lot of Happy Hooligan scans (home state of cartoonist).  The one in this link is an example of one with his nephews with wide-open mouth similar to the character in your drawing (minus the teeth) https://cartoonimages.osu.edu/index.cfm?fuseaction=search.seeItemInSearchResults&ItemID=c93b59d8-e7b2-461a-9046-e5e163172975&CollectionID=02d5386b-a575-4bfa-8005-cf676fd41345&listOfKeyWords=happy hooligan nephew  I still haven't found a real close match of the character pictured on Ni 2140 and the Happy Hooligan comic other than the aforementioned nephews/niece.  None of the characters in the strip seem to have a protruding tongue or teeth.  My guess is the person who painted the plane was using some artistic license. 

There is an interesting article in an old (1986) Over the Front magazine entitled "Colors: Italian Nieuport 17's" by Greg VanWyngarden.  If you want information from that article, let me know and I will relay it.   Mr. Van Wyngarden states as his primary source a monograph entitled "Nieuport Macchi 11 & 17" by Maurizio Longoni (Intergest, 1976). I'm trying to track that publication down but I can only find it on bookweb.it.  That is an Italian site (hence the .it) I cannot translate well enough to buy the rather cheap 45 page booklet.  I was only going to buy the book for the photo references anyway since it is written in Italian.  One thing from the "Colors" article since you are turning this drawing into a painting, the author states that the seam tape which is prevalent on these Italian aircraft along the tail, fuselage and wings was black.  In most representations I have seen including the Vintage Aviation reproduction they are brown.  I don't know who is correct.  The cowl in most of the planes with 2xxx number series from the Macchi factory have a red, silver and green pattern that is like the Vitage Aviation repro. 

One more thing I find interesting is that the Macchi built aircraft had a unique gun mount, two posts supporting an arch supporting the end of the gun.  Along with that there is an interesting small circular sight mounted below the center of the top wing.  Often there appears to be a v painted on the windshield to align with the wing mounted sight.  It makes me think of looking down the barrel of a rifle and aligning the front and back sights.  The gun mount and the "V" on the windshield are both visible in the picture you linked.  For an even better example, showing the wing mounted site, here are some magnified clips from:http://www.14-18.it/periodico/IEI0120548/1916/n.6/390