Prologue: Pieces of History

We had a hard time choosing this week between captions that suggested ill-fated monkey-navigated flights or included the phrase “monkey hairdo.”

Finally we turned to a man of impeccable taste, Brian Barth, who is the man behind the art direction and graphic design of the recipe book Eating with Uncle Sam: Recipes and Historical Bites from the National Archives to choose the caption he looked best with the image.

Congratulations to Amy! Check your email for a code for a 15% discount to the eStore. Maybe you’ll even pick up a copy of the recipe book.

So, if this pilot is not actually receiving a simian de-lousing, what is going on?

 The original caption reads: With “Jospehine,” squadron pet, as his mascot, Lt. M. W. Carney of Churchlands, Va., prepares to give a new fighter plane just arrived in Africa its test flight., ca. 02/1943.

Today’s photo is firmly grounded and indoors. Give us your best caption in the comments below!… [ Read all ]