Fun With Frauds: Another Item on Ebay

[await]

Fraudulent items offered on Ebay can be both a source of irritation and amusement. In connection with the recently-released book on Udet by Lance Bronnenkant, I thought I would post the following link:

https://www.ebay.de/itm/Ernst-Udet-K...kAAOSw6vZfNswr

The handwritten "Ernst Udet" on this drawing doesn't even remotely resemble Ernst Udet's signature. It doesn't even look like a proper autograph at all. Yet it can be yours for a mere 1,480 euros (ca. $1750)!

[VtwinVince]

Bwahahaha, I should put my genuine signed PC from the same period up for sale at the bargain price of 5K.

[Gregvan]

There were a bunch of these so-called "Udet" drawings that were auctioned off some time ago, possibly by Hermann Historica. You can find them now on Alamy.com. They were touted as original watercolor profiles by Ernst Udet. Aside from the lousy attempt at the signature, these just don't look at all like Udet's artwork. He did wonderful caricatures of people, and always in just pen and ink, or perhaps pencil. When he drew airplanes, they were caricatures of airplanes. His subjects and style are both very recognizable. These watercolor "profiles" of WWI aircraft, all done in the same format and in a faux "Primitive" form, just weren't his thing. The profiles are all done in the same style, with labels that betray even more faults.

Here is a Pfalz D.XII with incorrect cross styles, etc.



A rather primitive depiction of a Fokker E.V:



And even some "captured Allied aircraft" in 'German' markings. The group also included a few interwar and WWII aircraft.

[await]

It's interesting that some of these are dated 1918, while the Albatros B.II illustration was dated 1922. A four year lag between renderings, though they all appear to be of the same age.

It reminds me of puzzle exercises with deliberate inconsistencies and a question like: "Can you find the 8 things wrong with this picture?" As I suggested in the thread title, once one gets past the annoyance of someone committing fraud, it can be kind of fun to list all the things wrong with it.