Re: Does anyone recognize this hood ornament?
Posted by packardsix1939 On 2022/5/29 16:58:54
This is the famous (or infamous) Petty Girl Hood ornament that was designed for Nash Motors by illustrator George Petty. In the 1940's and 50's George Petty was famous for his drawings of beautiful, scantily clad pin up girls which became known as "Petty Girls". His work frequently appeared in calendars and in popular men's magazines such as Esquire. Petty's pin-ups were especially popular with GIs during the Second World War and bomber pilots would frequently try to duplicate his drawings on the noses of their aircraft. One such work adorned the nose of the famous B-17 "Memphis Belle"; the first US Army bomber to complete 25 missions over Germany.
The Nash hood ornament pictured here was used on 1953 and 1954 Nash and Rambler cars. Earlier, Petty had designed a hood ornament using a winged female form that had been used on 1947 and 1948 Nash cars, It was less risqué than the 1953-1954 ornament. Reportedly, Petty had used his own daughter as the model. The story behind the 1953-54 "Petty Girl" hood ornament is that George Petty belonged to an exclusive country club. He started noticing a very beautiful young woman at the club who frequently took early morning dips in the club pool. Petty introduced himself, explained the project he had with Nash Motors and asked her to be his model. She happily accepted. The result was one of the best known hood ornaments of the 1950's. It was quite controversial for the time. Today, "Petty girl" art, including those Nash hood ornaments, is highly collectable and Petty is still recognized as one of the greatest illustrators of the female form.
Here is the earlier 1947-1948 Nash hood ornament by George Petty.
Attach file:
47_48 Nash Petty Girl.jpg (353.90 KB)
The Nash hood ornament pictured here was used on 1953 and 1954 Nash and Rambler cars. Earlier, Petty had designed a hood ornament using a winged female form that had been used on 1947 and 1948 Nash cars, It was less risqué than the 1953-1954 ornament. Reportedly, Petty had used his own daughter as the model. The story behind the 1953-54 "Petty Girl" hood ornament is that George Petty belonged to an exclusive country club. He started noticing a very beautiful young woman at the club who frequently took early morning dips in the club pool. Petty introduced himself, explained the project he had with Nash Motors and asked her to be his model. She happily accepted. The result was one of the best known hood ornaments of the 1950's. It was quite controversial for the time. Today, "Petty girl" art, including those Nash hood ornaments, is highly collectable and Petty is still recognized as one of the greatest illustrators of the female form.
Here is the earlier 1947-1948 Nash hood ornament by George Petty.
Attach file:
47_48 Nash Petty Girl.jpg (353.90 KB)
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