"Reach for the Sky"

Previous title, replaced January 2025: A red road, a yellow road and a black road crossing over or under each other, with purple lines indicating the routes of fighter aircraft above. Watercolour by Francesca, 1974.

Adamson Trust Title: Roads

Painting of three interconnecting roads in red, yellow and black amongst a blue sky and clouds in the background. Speech bubbles and painting of planes surround from different sources. 'Reach for the Sky' was a book and subsequently a film about the World War II fighter pilot Douglas Bader. "Come and get me, Copper" is a quotation from the gangster film White heat starring James Cagney (1949). The Red Baron was Manfred von Richthofen, a fighter pilot in World War I. "Nixon" appears to refer to President Richard M. Nixon of the United States, who was much criticised in 1972-1974 for complicity in the Watergate burglaries, and who resigned on 9 August 1974. Date of creation inscribed on the reverse, probably by Edward Adamson.

26 January 1974

1 painting watercolour and gouache on paper

Prior to Wellcome Collection, this work was stored in a folder on 1st floor, Reay House, Lambeth Hospital.

The title has been taken from wording on the object.

This work is attributed to the creator; it was stored with other identified works.