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    Fred Ludlow Open Edition Print

    by Chris Broy

    Regular price$35.00 Sale price
    Select Print Size

    Unless otherwise noted printing specs are as stated below.

    Hahnemuhle Photo Rag 308 - acid and lignin-free, white cotton paper. It features a characteristic, wonderfully soft feel and boasts a lightly defined felt structure. The weight of the paper is 308 gsm.

     Print Size Image Size Border Size
    5x7 4x6 .5
    8x10 7x9 .5
    11x14 9.5x12.5 .75
    12x16 10x14 1
    16x20 14x18 1
    18x24 15.5x21.5 1.25
    20x30 17x27 1.5
    24x36 20x32 2
    30x40 26x36 2
    36x48 30x42 3
    40x60 33x53 3.5

    *All measurements are in inches. 

    Fred Ludlow was a top board-track racer of the 1910s who made the transition to dirt-track racing with ease—the culmination of that coming September of 1921 when the Californian won five National Championships at the M&ATA finale on the dirt mile at Syracuse in New York. After his racing career, Ludlow became a motorcycle policeman in Pasadena, California.

    Ludlow served in the Signal Corps during World War I, leaving for Europe in April 1918 and returning from the war in August 1919. Soon after his discharge, Ludlow was hired by Harley-Davidson’s competition manager Bill Ottoway to race for the Milwaukee-based team. Ludlow’s factory debut came in a November race that year at Ascot Park, but his bike broke a chain, and he was credited with fourth.

    The team Harley assembled in 1920, later to be known as the “Wrecking Crew,” was chockful of talent. Ludlow joined Ralph Hepburn, Otto Walker, Red Parkhurst, and later, Jim Davis, Ray Weishaar, and Maldwyn Jones, in one of the most powerful factory squads ever put together.

    Ludlow raced in most of the great races of the day, such as the Dodge City 300. He achieved his greatest success, however, on September 19, 1921, on the famous Syracuse Mile in New York. That day, Ludlow earned a clean sweep of all the national titles up for grabs. Ludlow took five wins in five races on his factory Harley- Davidson, besting most of the top stars of the day, including the likes of Jim Davis, Don Marks, and Ralph Hepburn. It was one of the most dominant performances in the history of the sport.

    Open vs. Limited Edition Prints

    Prints are produced in series called editions. Every edition contains a number of prints made from a single plate in a single run. Unlike unlimited edition prints (also known as open editions), that can be reproduced an infinite number of times, limited editions are (as their name suggests) made in limited amounts. Limited editions can contain anywhere between 2 and several thousand prints, depending on the technique used and intent of the artist. Prints from small editions retain exclusivity and reach higher prices than large edition prints. The original article can be found here.