SCENES FROM THE FAIR: SATURDAY, AUGUST 29, 2020 AIR FAIR

$25.00

Description

Illustration by Nuri Ducassi, 18×24

This poster, which is part of a 12-poster series, is an homage to “the North Star state’s great display of the products of the earth and air, the outpouring of the horn of plenty into the lap of Minnesota’s loyal people,” as the Minneapolis Tribune wrote in 1896.

Much of the earliest flying in Minnesota was associated with the State Fair. An aviation meet at the fairgrounds in 1910 (admission 50 cents) introduced “aeroplanes” to many Minnesotans, though bad weather and iffy machinery meant short, dicey flights, the crowd shrieking and gasping as the craft rose and then disappeared beyond the grandstand: “That was the first taste of airship flying and it was an exhilarating moment.” Photos of the thrilling new machines featured this headline: “Spider-like Aeroplanes and Sausage-Shaped Dirigible Snapped High in Air.” A front-page story in 1911 boasted the first photos of the fairgrounds from the air. The crowds got to see auto-airplane races in 1915, where more than one aviator lost his brakes upon landing and smashed through the railings at the grandstand. From the more sedate pleasures of prize pickles and seed corn to witnessing “Death Cheated by Tiny Margins at Fair Races,” there’s usually something for every taste at the fair.

Each poster is printed on-demand on heavy quality photo paper. Posters will arrive in 10-14 days.