OSCAR FREDERICK SCHMIDT (1892-1957) The Green Dragon's Lair signed 'O.F. Schmidt' (lower left) oil on canvas 25 x 35 in. (63.5 x 88.9 cm.) Painted in 1944. Footnotes: Provenance Private collection, North Carolina, acquired from the artist. Private collection, acquired from the above, circa 1980. The present work depicts an Elco PT Motor Torpedo boat - a type of vessel used by the Navy in World War II - pushing off from its concealed jungle hideout. PT (Patrol Torpedo) boats were lithe and well camouflaged, ideal for nocturnal hit-and-run tactics, scouting missions, and disrupting enemy lines. During World War II the Navy had forty-three PT squadrons comprised of twelve boats each; the boats were highly maneuverable but also relatively unarmored, meaning that PT squadrons suffered some of the highest rates of loss in the Navy. While PT boats had been used in limited contexts before World War II, it was not until 1941-45 that they became famous. In 1939 Elco and a few other boat builders were contracted by the U.S. Navy to build PT boats for the war. By the end of the war more Elco motor torpedo boats had been built than any other type, although very few still exist today. The present work was originally created to accompany an advertisement printed on July 24, 1944, by Elco Electric Boat Company. The title likely refers to PT-196, an Elco motor torpedo boat nicknamed 'The Green Dragon'. PT-196 was launched in 1943 and assigned to the South Pacific. It was placed out of service and destroyed in 1945. This lot is accompanied by a copy of the 1944 print advertisement. For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com For further information about this lot please visit the lot listing