History on a Shirt and How It Got That Way

Introducing the Artist - Ewan Tallentire

Ewan Tallentire describes himself as only 1/8 Strange, and says he can prove it in the family Bible. His friends reply that the other 7/8 must be really weird. 

Read the History on a Shirt blog posts for how this translates into the art of odd, unusual, and different history, and how Ewan got involved with art for museums. 

Art Director: Ewan Tallentire

Best way to contact is by email or phone:

artwork@historyonashirt.com
(303) 795-5369

Snail mail: 

History on a Shirt
5356 S. Crocker St.
Littleton, CO 80120

Also see Ewan Tallentire art at:

General portfolio: albiondesigncentre.com/portfolio

Museum t-shirt design portfolio: albiondesigncentre.com/tshirtdesign

Other online shops: Fine Art America, History on a Shirt on Etsy

Introducing Our Favorite Museum - the VAFM

The Great War Stories Gift Shop started several years ago when our family stumbled onto a little aviation museum's fly-in. We talked to the friendly guy driving the shuttle bus, and later saw him walking around in a World War 1 uniform. Eventually we figured out he was Andy Parks, the museum director. And it wasn't a re-enactment uniform he was wearing - it was the real thing!

It was fun watching the colorful WWI replica airplanes fly by, and we got to look at them up close on the ground too. Even we, who knew nothing about WWI then, knew a red tri-plane with the Iron Cross on the wings was the Red Baron airplane. But why he was called a baron? Was he real or just a story? And "Flying Circus" sounded like something barnstormers would put on, but that was after the war era?!

Slowly we learned more - that Andy Parks wasn't a hired director; he grew up with WWI and WWII pilots (and grew up playing with mannequins like the Parks scion with the mannequin head in the picture), and his family was commissioned by the last survivors of the first US pilots to carry on their remembrance. Slowly we realized that when Andy mentioned something Jimmy had once told his family, he meant Jimmy Doolittle, as in the Doolittle Raid.

The more we learned the more we thought other people should know about the Parks family and their collection. But it's hard to maintain and develop a collection, keep up on history, keep up on aviation, run a museum as a business and as living and flying history, and be the administrator, fundraiser, marketer, and merchandiser. At least, it's hard to do all that as one person. There are many friends of the museum who help with the airplanes and help with recording history (one of our favorites is historian Jack Stokes Ballard); but the museum can always use more help, especially of the financial kind!

We help in our own way by promoting the museum along with our collection of WWI aviation products related to the museum, but that's why our opinions, viewpoints, and fact accuracy on this website should not reflect on the Vintage Aero Flying Museum. We just want to tell people what a fascinating resource is hidden near the foothills of Colorado.

We also want you to realize what we know is all secondhand information. Want to really find out? Go ask the guy - Andy Parks - who really knew these people! You can contact him through: 

Vintage Aero Flying Museum
7507 County Rd 39
Ft Lupton, CO 80621
(303) 668-8044 

Or just go there; read our page of detailed directions to the museum.