Wootton had always been involved in charity work. During the war he sketched fellow servicemen for a pound a head, raising £250 for the Wings For Victory fundraiser.
Fitting then, that at Wootton’s funeral in Sussex, April 1998, a Spitfire performed a victory roll.
Widely hailed as the finest aviation artist of all time, Frank Wootton OBE (1911-1998) is equally well known and regarded for his artistic work in both equestrian and landscape fields. But his skills could be said to have been honed, be they in pencil, oils or in charcoal, during the earlier portion of his career, drawing and painting motor cars.
During the mid-1930s, Wootton’s employer pitched for Ford of Dagenham’s promotional business. The carmaker was seeking high quality, American-style illustrations, but most importantly, in color. Just about to leave the office one evening, Wootton’s boss breathlessly crested the stairs imploring him to get this done ‘before the morning’. Wootton’s all-nighter paid dividends, for Grafton won the Ford contract, keeping them busy for years with many colorful front-page illustrations and adverts.
With war declared, having volunteered for combat duty, Wootton became the official RAF war artist, which led to a complete change in subject matter.
After hostilities ceased, BOAC flew him wherever they landed, commissioning all manner of flight-centric artwork
Wootton’s life altered once more when he was offered the Sporting Artist position at UK weekly, The Motor, covering Grands Prix, Le Mans, the Monte Carlo rally et al, which brought him into the orbit of legendary drivers such as Stirling Moss and Juan-Manuel Fangio.
Then a chance to influence a car’s design presented itself in the shape of Jaguar’s William Lyons. Impressed by Wootton’s work, the Jaguar boss had a job for him. “It was the 2.4,” Wootton recalled. “There was a line running along the car which at certain angles appeared kinked and Bill wanted me to iron it out, confident that my artistic skills would be up to mustard.” Adding a new curve to the windscreen along with altering the back end a little.
Rolls Royce came calling, seeking artwork for their 1955 S-Type. “Being a commercial secret, I was asked to keep to country lanes when searching for locations to draw it in. I had that car for two weeks. When they sent a man round to collect it, he took ages in making sure I hadn’t scratched it. Three hours passed and Rolls phoned to ask if their chap was still there. An hour after he’d left, I got another call saying he’d wrapped it round a tree. It was to be the last car I got paid to paint.” The commitment to other fields proved stronger.
Wootton was also a keen motorist, purchasing a 1913 Morris Oxford Bullnose, registration plate CF 1177, for the princely sum of £100 in 1950 from Eastbourne Morris agency, Parkinson and Polson.
Having originally been owned by Arthur Conan Doyle, the car had been loitering in the rear of the garage for years, one of the old boys remarking that he’d driven it back in the late twenties. After evicting a family of mice which had been residing there and giving the carburetor a once-over, the Morris started first time, subsequently taking Wootton and his wife on many a jaunt. The Bullnose even won him a prize for the ownership of the oldest Morris then known
ReplyDeletethanks for the history lesson. Mr. Wooton appears to have been quite a man in his work. I looked up the Morris Oxford for 1913. That had to be fun to drive around town! "Smedley? Didn't your grandpapa own a Morris Oxford just like that one?" "Yes, Cheryl. He would treat us to Sunday drives to Nottingham in it."