American Historical Ephemera and Early Photography

Oil on canvas depicting a Vultee A-31 Vengeance dropping its payload on a battlefield below, signed by Leydenfrost at bottom right (some cracks and minor losses, light rubbing at margins). Visible area 29 × 21 in. Frame: 32 1/4 × 24 1/4 in. Provenance: Previously sold at Kennedy Galleries, Inc., New York City (label on verso); previously sold at Alexander Gallery, New York City (label on verso); Hampton Wayt.

Alexander Leydenfrost was a Hungarian-American industrial designer and illustrator whose artwork during the Second World War brought the immediacy and drama of the conflict into the homes of millions of Americans. Throughout the war he produced dozens of images of American military prowess for Esquire magazine; this work was reproduced on page 42 of the March 1943 issue. The Vultee A-31 Vengeance was an American dive bomber manufactured by Vultee Aircraft from 1941-1948. The Vengeance was only used by the United States against Japanese forces in China; its used in the European theater was primarily limited to the British and Free French forces.