Midget racing, paddy wagons, rural landscapes (7 vintage photographs from Ralph Foster estate, circa 1940s)

Self published, 1940s. Very Good. Seven original B/W single weight snapshot photographs of midget race cars, paddy wagons, rural airstrips, snowed in Packards outside an auto shop, circa 1940s. From the estate of Ralph Foster, a prolific wartime midget racer, military pilot, professional aerial photographer. Foster grew up in Hastings, Nebraska, where he learned to race paddy wagon-size cars in 1930s, became Kansas State Midget Champion by 1940, winning copious main events. During WWII, he flew P-51s, his interest in aerial photography just beginning, although that interest may have origins as early as these snapshots. He was continuously involved in government & secret operations, always mysteriously escaping alive, sentiments echoed in this collection of stirring images. Foster is the camera operator here, not the subject, marking a significant early period of his professional photography career. His Midwest is dusty, high-speed, immense. Late 1990s-2000s, Foster operated "Foster Air Photo" in Garden Grove, California. Photos range from 2.5 x 3 inches to 3 x 4.5 inches. Rubber-stamp numbers on 6 versos, pencil scribble on 1 verso. Corner creases, faint discoloration. Very Good Plus overall.