The Tacoma Public Library is host to a digital-only collection of more than 13,500 photographs by professional and amateur photographers showing various animals, scenes, rides, events and performances throughout the years of the Washington State Fair from its founding in 1900 through 2011. We have included a few of our favorite images in this blog post, but we encourage you to explore more by clicking here!
Known as the Puyallup Fair for decades, the Washington State Fair adopted its current name in 2013 and remains the largest single attraction held annually in the state of Washington and has continually ranked as one of the largest fairs in the country.
This collection is digital-only, which means we do not hold the original prints. The original photograph collection is held by the Washington State Fair. The collection is arranged in ORCA by the photographer’s name with unknown photographs filed by the decade in which it was taken.
