Fert Faust : I ’ m not sure if this is an accurate description of this type of print , “ Canvasette ,” but it ’ s what my Dad called them . The term likely was due to the fact that the material has a canvas-like texture to it , almost woven . They were also what Dad called “ plasticized ,” like a shiny gloss coating was sprayed over it to keep it more washable and to protect it from the hazards of hanging in a smoky ol ’ bar for a year or more . SIZE : “ Vintage 1960 ’ s Grain Belt Beer Wildlife Canvas Print 33 x 27.25 Inches .”
The first reference to a Canvasette I can find is in the July 1955 Grain Belt Diamond publication , Vol . 1 , No . 3 . On page 6 is a picture of a 15.5 ’ wall display at Joe ’ s Crossroad ’ s Bar in Barron , Wisc . On it is the Grizzly print , jumping trout plaster fish with a placard and some cardboard bottles ... all , of course , framed out nicely in Corabuff . There is no mention of the item being a new advertising piece , so there may have been prior ones . See Timeline below . These are 33 x 27 ” horizontal prints ( including the white border that is about an inch ) that started their series in the mid- ’ 50s and ran into the late-60s to my knowledge . They were used primarily for assembling “ wall displays *.” There are 35 different of these that I know of , mostly of wildlife or cabin scenes . The earlier ones had no GB diamond logo or name on them whatsoever ; 2 that I know of . Later came just the wording “ compliments of Grain Belt Beer ,” then later the same with the logo , then just the logo . One of the last must have been the one with the late 60 ’ s snowmobiles in it . Some of these scenes were also used in other POS such as on lighted signs as paper “ transparencies ” or plastic “ acetates ,” lighted from behind . I am partial to one canvasette in particular . It was made in 1960 ** right here in the Brainerd area with local people in the pictures , on Round Lake .
Now that you ’ ve heard Fert ’ s explanation , I ’ ll start my ranking with lowest to the highest .
This one is at the bottom of my list because it ’ s just really boring . The buck should be the star of the photo with that big rack , but he ’ s in the shadows and looking away . It ’ s not as common as some others but still just doesn ’ t stimulate the viewer that much in my opinion .
Price $ 20 - $ 40
Next another deer picture . This time an antlerless deer on a snowy path . I think I ’ d like it better if the deer had horns and the snow was untouched . Pretty common , this one comes up a lot on ebay and shows .
Price $ 20 - $ 40
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