At the height of the war, nose artists were in very high demand in the USAAF and were paid quite well for their services, while AAF commanders tolerated nose art in an effort to boost aircrew morale. True nose art appeared during World War II, which is considered by many observers to be the golden age of the genre, with both Axis and Allied pilots taking part. Hell's Angels, the 3rd Squadron of the 1st American Volunteer Group 'Flying Tigers', Nose art of that era was often conceived and produced not by the pilots, but rather by ground crews. Johnny Wentworth) and the 'Kicking Mule' of the 95th Aero Squadron. World War I examples include the 'Hat in the Ring' of the American 94th Aero Squadron (attributed to Lt. This followed the official policy established by the American Expeditionary Forces' Chief of the Air Service, Brigadier General Benjamin Foulois, on, requiring the creation of distinct, readily identifiable squadron insignia. World War I nose art was usually embellished or extravagant squadron insignia. The cavallino rampante ('prancing horse') of the Italian ace Francesco Baracca was another well-known image. What is perhaps the most famous of all nose art, the shark-face insignia later made famous by the First American Volunteer Group (AVG) Flying Tigers, first appeared in World War I on a British Sopwith Dolphin and a German Roland C.II, though often with an effect more comical than menacing.

This was followed by the popular practice of painting a mouth beneath the propeller's spinner begun by German pilots in World War I.

The first recorded example was a sea monster painted on an Italian flying boat in 1913.

Placing personalized decorations on fighting aircraft began with Italian and German pilots. There were exceptions, including the VIII Bomber Command, 301st Bomb Group B-17F 'Whizzer', which had its girl-riding-a-bomb on the dorsal fin. In a broad sense, the tail art of several airlines such as the Eskimo of Alaska Airlines can be called 'nose art', as are the tail markings of present-day U.S. Nose art is largely a military tradition, but civilian airliners operated by the Virgin Group feature 'Virgin Girls' on the nose as part of their livery. In addition, it relies on materials immediately available. In both cases, the artist is often anonymous, and the art itself is ephemeral. It can also be compared to sophisticated graffiti. Д«ecause of its individual and unofficial nature, it is considered folk art, inseparable from work as well as representative of a group. The appeal, in part, came from nose art not being officially approved, even when the regulations against it were not enforced. While begun for practical reasons of identifying friendly units, the practice evolved to express the individuality often constrained by the uniformity of the military, to evoke memories of home and peacetime life, and as a kind of psychological protection against the stresses of war and the probability of death. Nose art is a decorative painting or design on the fuselage of an aircraft, usually on the front fuselage.

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