Taking Flight

Taking Flight is the current exhibition at the San Diego Historical Society in Balboa Park. The stunning collections of Bill and Claudia Allen and the Allen Airways Flying Museum are featured in a handsomely curated exhibit of wartime aviation posters that capture the periods and cultures of the two 20th century world wars. While the posters and memorabilia are mainly from World War II, a rare World War I poster is prominently displayed. Viewers will love the dramatically illustrated movie posters, which emphasize war themes, and offer plentiful helpings of romance, too. The poster for the movie Wings and the Woman, starring Anna Neagle and Robert Newton, pictures the beautiful heroine as aviatrix, but also as lover locked in a passionate embrace with a handsome man. Patriotism, loyalty, hard work, keeping secrets, guarding against the enemy, frugality, and staying upbeat were oft repeated messages communicated through commercial art that was posted visibly to remind the public of core values during war. The exhibition continues through September 20. (619/232-6203, www.sandiegohistory.org)   DARLENE G. DAVIES