| Author |
 Topic  |
|
creamcracker
United Kingdom
116 Posts |
 Posted - 04/01/2015 : 19:27:33
|
Hopefully this is the right part of the Forum?
I am not sure if this has been raised in the past (can’t find anything in archive), but can anybody identify the model of MG in which the girl in F GC’s “MG Girl” is seated.
It is often captioned as “in the driving seat of an 18/80 in 1932”, but this is obviously incorrect.
Allowing for artistic license, it is more likely to be an F1?
|
|
|
PeterL
United Kingdom
1722 Posts |
Posted - 04/01/2015 : 21:05:30
|
Hmmm
Quite F-ish...
ENV gearbox and knobs
door has horizontal top edge...
aluminium capping...
Dashboard could be an artistic representation...
P |
 |
|
|
Simon Johnston
United Kingdom
6122 Posts |
Posted - 04/01/2015 : 21:25:24
|
For those interested to find out a bit more about Crosby, there is a rather nice book first published in 1978 and reprinted about five years ago entitled 'The Art of Gordon Crosby' by the former editor of The Autocar, Peter Garnier.
Simon J
J3437 |
|
|
|
George Eagle
United Kingdom
3238 Posts |
Posted - 04/01/2015 : 22:32:43
|
As has been pointed out the gearbox looks very like a manual ENV. I wonder if the car could be a Styles bodied F type?
George
L2023 |
|
|
|
LewPalmer
USA
3243 Posts |
Posted - 05/01/2015 : 03:50:27
|
According to stories passed on to me, Gordon Crosby (the artist) supposedly owned an 18/80 at the time and his wife is the woman pictured. So I guess it would have been logical to assume an 18/80 is pictured. I'd be interested to know why it doesn't appear to be an 18/80 and if so, what is it?
Lew Palmer
PA1169, PB0560 |
|
|
|
PeterL
United Kingdom
1722 Posts |
Posted - 05/01/2015 : 07:09:46
|
Not a Stiles, the door line is wrong, it is more like an F Tourer, the dashboard is a bit suspect though and I thought it looked a bit Stilesish...
The windscreen looks too heavy for the F and might have 18/80 pretentions... so you never know. |
Edited by - PeterL on 05/01/2015 07:27:16 |
|
|
|
creamcracker
United Kingdom
116 Posts |
Posted - 05/01/2015 : 08:37:32
|
Gentlemen.
The following two images of a MKI and a MKII cockpit, show that it is NOT an M.G. 18/80, which still leaves the question of “what is it”. FGC owned two or three 18/80s and to the best of my knowledge they were all saloons, including mine. My limited experience of MMM cars still leads me to think that it may be F1. Any further thoughts welcomed.
Also, does anybody know if the original of this picture still exists and where it is?
Keith
|
|
|
|
PeterL
United Kingdom
1722 Posts |
Posted - 05/01/2015 : 11:12:46
|
It's an F....
P |
|
|
|
Simon Johnston
United Kingdom
6122 Posts |
Posted - 05/01/2015 : 11:45:17
|
in the book I referred to above, Peter Garnier says that "when he wanted to be - which was almost invariably - Crosby's cars were totally identifiable, yet occasionally he produced a 'Crosby Special' ...." So there may simply be a bit of artistic licence in this one.
As to where the picture is now, Garnier said (in 1978) that there were nearly 300 examples of Crosby's work in the hands of the Autocar publishers and fewer than a quarter of that number known to be in private hands. So the picture may well be still with the publishers of the Autocar.
Simon J
J3437 |
|
|
|
Eric Taylor
France
157 Posts |
Posted - 05/01/2015 : 12:23:42
|
If you were to look in the "Archives" of the MG D Type group forum you will find a photograph of an "MG girl" sat in the front seat of an MG.
I am guessing this is the inspiration for the painting. The car looks very much like it is an F type , you can just see the reverse slot guard.
However the D Group seem to think it is a D type.
Regards Eric Taylor. |
|
|
|
PeterL
United Kingdom
1722 Posts |
Posted - 05/01/2015 : 15:24:51
|
What did Mandy Rice Davies say?
Yes, well spotted! It makes me revise my opinion of the painting of the dash, it does look like an F Type (or D) one. But the gear stick is very ENV so I plump for an F.
Cheers
P |
Edited by - PeterL on 05/01/2015 15:29:06 |
|
|
|
Simon Johnston
United Kingdom
6122 Posts |
Posted - 05/01/2015 : 15:45:04
|
It would seem that the original water colour and charcoal picture was sold by Brooks in 1990 (Mr. Google is your friend!)
Simon J
J3437 |
|
|
|
Oz34
United Kingdom
2538 Posts |
Posted - 05/01/2015 : 16:30:30
|
Could it be possible that it's just a generic open car of the '20s/'30s?
Dave |
|
|
|
Simon Johnston
United Kingdom
6122 Posts |
Posted - 05/01/2015 : 17:42:02
|
Dave,
That was my point when quoting Peter Garnier above. But when you see the two pictures side by side there seems little doubt that Crosby used the M.G. promotional picture as the basis for his Autocar cover. But as the full cover is of 'portrait' format and the photo is more 'landscape' he may just have used his imagination, or another photo, to provide more detail of the gear change to fill out the page.
Simon J
J3437 |
|
|
|
creamcracker
United Kingdom
116 Posts |
Posted - 05/01/2015 : 17:59:22
|
MG Girl
First of all may I thank all those who have responded on this forum to my question about The MG Girl and the car. I think the consensus is that the car is probably an F Type with a certain amount of artistic license thrown in. Perhaps most important for me is the information from Eric Taylor, directing me to the D Type archive and the “picture of a girl in an MG”. I have not seen this before and I would certainly agree with Eric that this is quite probably the inspiration for FGC’s watercolour and charcoal painting.
Thank you Simon for posting the two images- you beat me to it- as this I think confirms the origins. I hope the D Type group don’t mind us using the image here for comparison purposes?
After the sale of the picture by Brooks in 1990, we can but presume that it is safely in someone’s private collection – unless anybody knows differently? Happy New Year to one and all.
Keith
|
|
|
|
sam christie
United Kingdom
3101 Posts |
Posted - 07/01/2015 : 14:12:24
|
Not quite?
Sam |
|
|
|
Topic |
|
MG Girl- F Gordon Crosby
Forum Locked
