Category: CLA 2017

(The cover photo is the Lodding/Wright horn.  The most recent posting, it is a spectacular item!)

Postings for the CLA Auction are complete.  Thirty-one auction items are included here. An additional item can be seen during the CLA Show prior to the auction.  The Show in Lexington is August 18,19.  The Auction will be held at 5:00 on the 18th.  Below are all the items – click on each one to read about the artist and the item itself.

Larry Pletcher, editor

Steve Lodding (patentbreech1@embarqmail.com) and H. David Wright (dw@davidwrightart.com) have teamed up to create a spectacular engraved powder horn inspired by an original in a private collection.  The antique French and Indian War period New York map horn, attributed to the “Pointed Tree” carver contains a base plug that was uniquely painted with a scene of a gentleman hunting birds over his dog.

Lodding, who made and engraved the horn, used features of the “Pointed Tree” carver for this horn. Wright painted the plug.

Steve started with a raw horn; 16 inches in length was donated by noted horn maker, Tom Bowen (American Tradition, July 2011).  The completed horn with a 3 inch base plug features a paneled throat and decorative raised rings. The horn surface is completely covered with engraving of a map depicting New York to Lake Ontario including military outposts, waterways, cities, and towns of the mid 1700’s.  Interspersed throughout are charming folk art images such as marching soldiers, windmills, ships, pointed trees, several deer, and a dog chasing and a hunter shooting a deer.  A fine rendition of British coat of arms also adorns the horn. A cartouche is included, as were on horns during the 18th century and it has been left blank for a future owner to have his or her name engraved. To create even more interest and artistic appeal, Steve polychromed the engraving with red and green colors as were some of the very best map horns of the period, and then aged it with a patina to give it a warm pleasing look of an old horn.

Multi talented gun maker, horner, and all around talented artist, Steve Lodding has been a long time member of the CLA.  This is his third work of art he has created and donated to the CLF Funding Raising Auctions.

Artist H. David Wright painted the base plug. Using oil paint such as was used on the original wood plug, Wright set about to copy the art as closely as he could – and also to recreate the aged look of the old painted plug. While examining the original plug, he found, through deterioration and chipped areas of the paint, it had been underpainted with a white base coat – oil paint, or possibly a gesso medium. So, to achieve the same appearance of the painted art, he used white gesso as an underpainting medium and painted over that with oils – adding the glazes and chipped off areas of the paint to replicate the age on the plug. To find a scene painted on an antique powder horn plug is rare, indeed – let alone one of a hunting scene which is very reminiscent of English works. A plug with a painted scene of a hunter makes this powder horn an even more unique contribution to this year’s Live Auction.

David Wright is a charter member of the CLA and this is his third contribution to the CLF auctions.

Text and Photos by David Wright

Larry Pletcher, editor

 

The early history of the rifle in America is always fascinating and problematic. We know that rifles were in use on the frontier prior to the French and Indian War. John Fraser mentioned the loss of seven “rifled guns’ at the Battle of Fort Necessity. Even earlier, in 1743, the trader John Armstrong stole a “rifled gun” and a horse from a Delaware Indian. Armstrong’s murder when the Delaware caught up with him is recorded in the Pennsylvania Archives.

Who these early gunsmith’s were and what their rifles looked like is primarily an area of conjecture. The known dated early rifles tap out around 1760. Some rifles may be earlier but they are not dated. And early rifles are seldom signed or even initialed. There are a few gunsmiths that reliable documentation suggests were active before 1755. Jacob Dubbs is one of these gunsmiths and so is John Fraser who appears to have apprenticed to Dubbs. Dubbs worked in the Lehigh Valley and a rifle in Rifles of Colonial America is now attributed to him. This is rifle number 59, a rifle with a number of early characteristics.

CLA artist James Frost has created a rifle, loosely based on RCA number 59 and some other early guns from Lehigh and Northampton to Berks and Lebanon. John Bivins noted in 1968 in Longrifles of North Carolina “‘The early rifle, dating before the end of the revolution, tended strongly to exemplify strongly the simplicity of the so-called Queen Anne period. . .”

This rifle captures that spirit which Blevins called “a subtlety of curve and a certain haughty simplicity.”

This gun uses simple but elegant architecture set off by the striking piece of curly maple. James has used engraved brass castings for the furniture in the manner of the engraved castings that were imported from Europe by early gunsmiths. He also used a cast chevron nose cap. These contribute a tough of flash to the clean simple architecture.   This rifle has a 38″ swamped B weight Colerain barrel, in 50 caliber. It has a nice balance with the heft of an early rifle.

James Frost has been making rifles for over 30 years and the workmanship and fit on this rifle is flawless. Ray Franks of Sitting Fox Muzzleloaders graciously donated the components for this auction rifle.

James Frost’s contact information is jimboblues@yahoo.com

Text by H Ahlers

Photos by Heinz Ahlers and David Wright

Larry Pletcher, editor

The longrifle is an essential part of the longhunter’s kit. But,the longrifle without the hunting bag is a difficult thing to manage. You could put the balls in a your pocket, if you had a pocket, or in your mouth, but probably not enough for a “long hunt” So the hunting bag became a natural accessory to the longhunter’s gun. It was also a presonal piece of equipment, with a number of styles and materials available, sometimes made by a professional bag maker, sometimes by a neighborhood leather worker, and sometimes by the longhunter himself to fit the needs and style of the individual hunter.

The linen hunting bag could be in the Appalachian Mountains, especially the Southern Mountains. This breathable fabric style bag was the precursor to the canvas web gear that served our military in two World Wars. The light weight fabric bag works very well as long as you avoid a lot of loose pointy things in the contents.

 

This linen bag with leather flap is nicely crafted by noted leather worker Andrew Verdon. This bag is very well made with a hand crafted copper button and a full pillow ticking lining. The leather strap has a brass buckle and a nice sized sheath for a knife is sewn on the back. As you can see in the photos the sheath had no trouble accommodating my grandson’s 5 1/2 bladed knife and rawhide liner. The knife is NOT part of this rig.

The sewing is first rate and the construction techniques and materials are historically correct. This is a chance to own a fine fabric bag in Southern style for shooting or for possibles.

Andrew Verdon is a member of the Tennessee Trail Riders and has and interesting web page.

Andrew Verdon’s contact information is

forrestcavalryman@gmail.com

http://tennesseetrails.ning.com/profile/AndrewVerdon

text and photos by H Ahlers

To view the auction items consecutively, go to www.blackpowdermag.com

(The CLA Auction is August 18 in Lexington)

There are few items in a hunter’s kit as crucial as a trusty possibles bag. For this year’s CLF fundraising auction, a trio of artisans – Dwight Umbel, Kris Polizzi, and Jerry Eitnier – teamed up to create a visually stunning bag and horn set that’s sure to become a family heirloom.

The bag itself is the creation of CLA artist Dwight Umbel. Umbel crafted the bag from 2-3 oz. commercially tanned deer hide. The interior of the bag is fitted with an inside pocket, and is lined with medium weight pillow tick. The entire piece was painstakingly hand-sewn with waxed linen thread. Umbel’s skills are on full display on the outside surface of the bag, which was imparted a gracefully aged patina due to the artists’ homemade mixture of leather dyes. This bag exhibits an aged amber hue that looks straight from the frontier. The bag is fitted with a hand-forged iron buckle, and Umbel likewise crafted a cane powder measure and antler-tipped vent pick that attaches to the strap by a hand-made copper link chain.

Umbel specializes in one-of-a-kind pieces. “I can’t say that my bags are period correct,” he says. “I make what I feel is a bag that the individual can wear no matter what time period he depicts.  I never know what it will look like until after I dye the bag, it dries, and is treated.  No two bags are alike and that’s the joy of it.”

To help complete this first-class rig, Umbel enlisted the help of artist Kris Polizzi, who provided a hand-woven strap. Exhibiting an appropriately natural color scheme, the cotton strap is woven with an eye-catching geometric pattern that tastefully complements the hunting pouch.

The horn for this set was donated by Jerry Eitnier, a consistent contributor to CLF fundraising efforts. “This is what I would call a southern mountain style horn,” he says, “it is not a horn shop type of horn but a horn that would have been made by the owner with what he had on hand.” Typical of Eitnier’s work, the horn exemplifies rugged dependability. “This horn has an acid stain and is lightly aged for a soft warm look,” explains the artist, and “the spots on the horn may be of native American influence.” Fitted with a hickory spout plug and pine base plug sealed with beeswax, this horn is ready for service.

For the artisans involved in this project, the CLA has been vital to their development as artists. “In the last 21 years,” says Eitnier, “the CLA has brought the art of the American longrifle into the mainstream of the art world.” It’s an organization that advances professionalism and camaraderie. “The CLA,” says Umbel, “defines not only friendship, but craftsmanship from artists that inspire you to look deeper into the work you do. I can’t say enough about the CLA.”

For more information on the work of the artists, contact:

Dwight Umbel (nazarene@windstream.net)

Kris Polizzi (polizzifam@netzero.net)

Jerry Eitnier (ike47949@yahoo.com)

Text by J Shepherd

Photo 1 by R Lambert

Photos 2 through 6 by H Ahlers

Larry Pletcher, editor

 

 

 

In 1748 George Washington was on his first adventure over the Blue Ridge in the Shenandoah Valley. Lord Fairfax had taken a liking to the 16 year old and thought to introduce him to the wilds and the art of surveying. In George’s Journal of My Journey Over the Mountains began Fryday the 11th of March 1747/8 Washington comments on their dinner with Solomon Hedges, Justice of the Peace “When we came to supper there was neither a Cloth upon the table nor a Knife to eat with but as good luck would have it we had our own.” Later in an entry he notes “Everyone was his own cook. Our Spits was Forked Sticks our plates was a Large Chip as for dishes we had none.” A good knife was a necessity to travel over the Blue ridge and beyond.

The Chippewa or Ojibwe were a large indigenous nation with an agricultural history and a great engagement in trade. They traded copper, pipestone, and furs. By the late 18th century this highly civilized tribe had absorbed cultural elements and material goods from the Cree to the north, the Iroqouis to the east, and both French and English trade items.

The traditional Ojibwa smoking pipe incorporated some of these changing cultural influences. Pipe axes came into some use, trade beads and metal inlay work appeared on both stone and wooden pipe bowls. Pipe stems might be longer or shorter than 17th century styles.

The powder horn has always been a very personal piece of equipment. Map horns that showed country the bearer already knew like the back of his hand, scrimshawed horns with the owners name, plain buffalo horns that showed that you had killed one, and spotted horns all told a story. The understated but elegant horns in keeping with the plain living, God fearing folks of the Southern frontier and the flamboyant independence celebrating horns of the Tansel family, all make statements about their makers and owners.

Glen Sutt contributed this grand Southern banded horn to this years auction. The color is very appealing with subtle variations of white. Decoration is subtle on this horn, a decorative band at the butt with Glenn’s name and date, two perfectly fitted bands, and a turned cherry plug and applied turned tip. This horn tells the story of Glen’s artisty and meticulous craftsmanship and exhibits his talent at making art out of simple natural material.

Glenn Sutt died earlier this year and will be especially missed by all his friends in the horner community. We will miss his support of the CLA auction and his friendly advice.

Text by H Ahlers

Photos by D Wright

Larry Pletcher, editor – I admired Glenn as  an artist and a person. He will be greatly missed.

It’s arguably the most important tool for any outdoorsman: a good blade. But for the modern-day frontiersman who favors period black powder shooting, not just any knife will do. This year’s CLF fundraising auction is fortunately graced with an outstanding knife and sheath set by artisans Robert Park and Linda Pritchard.

Accomplished bladesmith Robert Park handcrafted the knife, which is forged from 1084 spring steel. It’s a well-proportioned piece: the handle is 4 ¼” long, while the blade itself measures 5 ¼” inches. The artist skillfully married a historical pattern with a contemporary twist. It’s “an English trade knife,” says Park, “with some of my own styling.” The handle is crafted from French box wood, with a linseed oil finish.

Park sites the CLA and its artists as a major influence in his work, having studied with noted craftsmen including Joe Seabolt, Ian Pratt, and the House brothers. The CLA, says Park, is simply a “Great organization. The other artists give me a lot of inspiration to make better knives to get to a higher level.”

This project, says Park, was the brainchild of quill artisan Linda Pritchard. Pritchard explains that the sheath which she crafted for this set “is inspired by the quillwork and moose hair embroidery from the Great Lakes region of the 18th and early 19th centuries.” The body of the sheath is constructed from brain tanned deer hide and lined with another sheath made from rawhide. “In this piece,” she says, “I used silk and linen threads and tried to stay as historically accurate in the creation of the sheath as possible while using a bit of my own artistic expression.” The completed sheath was then dyed with black walnut from the Pritchard farm.

 

Pritchard adorned the face of the sheath with a stunning pattern executed in porcupine quills and moose hair; the sheath is further set off with extra details including glass trade beads, brass hawk bells, and handmade tin cones filled with dyed deer hair. The artist largely crafts her own period-appropriate dyes: madder root for orange, indigo and verdigris for blue, and bloodroot for yellow.

While maintaining a respect for history, Pritchard explores her own artistic vision. “The scalloped moose hair portion along the border of the sheath,” she explains, “was common among the Huron pouches as well as other Great Lakes tribes. The center zigzag design and the quilled wrapped edging was also very common and used throughout the 18th century by the Great Lakes tribes.” Due to such historic examples, the artist observes, “I’m sometimes inspired to recreate an original, but the originals remain only as an inspiration, never as an exact copy.”

This exemplary set is simply the artists’ way of contributing to an organization that has been crucial to their own development as craftspeople. “I feel so humbled to be there among all the great artists,” says Pritchard. “I am so lucky to have the encouragement from the CLA members and fantastic artists there because I am sure without them I would have never been inspired to keep working to improve my craft.”

For more information on the work of the artists, contact:

Robert Park (rpark1760@icloud.com)

Linda Pritchard (lpritch@columbus.rr.com)

Copy by J Shepherd

Photos by D Wright

Larry Pletcher, editor

 

 

Despite the passage of centuries, mankind, at his core, remains the same. Life in the 18th century could entail some pretty serious work, but everyone eventually needs get away from it all. Long before he penned the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson was a hard-working Williamsburg attorney who managed a veritable mountain of court cases. But on April 14, 1769, Jefferson recorded his expenses for a little harmless diversion: he paid 7 shillings and 6 pence “for seeing a puppet show.”

Virginia artisan Dale Powers has crafted a truly unique offering for this year’s CLF fundraising auction: a full articulated 18th century puppet. “The origin of the Dancing Man,” explains the artist, “can be traced to France during the 16th century. They were known throughout Europe as Poupées à la. In America, by the 18th century these puppets became popular in Appalachia. They were created on the frontier as toys.”
Powers’ reproduction is crafted from hand-carved Appalachian white pine and measures 3” wide and 10 ¼” tall. The artist painted the puppet with a subdued color palette and then subtly aged the piece.

Appropriately enough for a frontier toy, the puppet’s eyes and nose are made from white tail deer antler. The finished product is a charmingly well executed example of early American folk art. It’s perfectly well suited for the junior reenactors at your next living history event, or as a display piece in your collection of primitive Americana.

 

The Eighteenth Century was a time of few possessions. Items of personal ornament often doubled with a useful purpose. The treasured family pieces were kept in containers appropriate to their value.

Glen Mock has created such a piece for the 2017 Auction. Carefully crafted from natural material this shawl brooch is stunning and elegant. Glen has always been known for his scrimshaw work in horn, bone, antler and other natural materials.

Sometimes when you have something really nice, you want to have it in a case that you can open when you want to display it, and close when you want to be a bit more discreet, Also you might prefer not to shove your antique Nicholas-Noel Boutet French officer’s pistol into a cigar box.

 

Jerry Moniot hand made this finely crafted chest he refers to as a pistol case. I mentioned Boutet because that is the level of pistol that would be perfectly appropriate in this case. If you put a vintage Luger in this case, people will say “Nice Luger but where did you get that case!”

This case is 11” X 19” X 6.5” tall. It is a finely handcrafted pistol case made of rare curly cherry with curly walnut, figured maple and ebony inserts. Jerry chased this wood down from Wayne Dunlap. Note the fine dovetail construction and the inlay work. There is a well inletted premium grade lock. So if you have a really nice or rare pistol, or you just want to have the best pistol case at the show, this is perfect for you.

Copy by H Ahlers
Photos by G Barlow

Larry Pletcher, editor

CLA artists consistently demonstrate the ability to marry museum-quality aesthetics with rugged practicality. Artist Jack Weeks and a cadre of talented craftsmen have collaborated to produce a truly outstanding bag and horn set for this year’s CLF fundraising auction.

The project is the brainchild of noted CLA artisan Jack Weeks. The basic concept, he explains, was to assemble “the equipment a market hunter in the three rivers area would have carried to collect skins and to furnish meat for the garrison and the village at Fort Pitt.” Some of the items, Weeks says, the hunter could have made for himself; other components in the set he could have traded for locally. “Our hunter,” explains the artist, “used a smoothbore French fusil de chasse to kill big game with round ball and used the same gun for turkeys and waterfowl.”

The pre revolutionary frontier, west of the great wagon road was an exciting place, from the Allegheny River country down through western Virginia and the Carolinas. The Frontiersman were learning their trade and the skills that would take them across the continent.  One of their primary tools was the American longrifle and one of the cradles of longrifle development was Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

Josh Wrightsman and Gary Tingler have created an early frontier rifle and hunting bag with knife for the auction. The rifle is an early Lancaster, late transition style, with a 38″ swamped B weight. 50 cal barrel. Josh cast the trigger guard and sideplate. He also made the ramrod thimbles and trigger. Josh hand forged the lock and tang bolts and made the front and rear sights, The rifle has a tapered hickory ramrod with rolled sheet metal tip. Josh fabricated all the patchbox release parts.The buttplate, patchbox and large Siler lock were purchased.  The sugar maple stock is incised and relief carved. The stock was scraped and burnished, stained with nitrate of iron and hand rubbed with aged linseed oil.  All the hardware, the barrel and the lock have been aged with ammonia, vinegar and saltwater to give a well cared for but aged appearance.

Josh also made the very nice hand forged bag knife with bone handle and pewter bolster.  Gary Tingler contributed the excellent elk hide bag, hand sewn with waxed linen and with a nice edging and flap decoration.  The bag also has interior pockets and a Kris Polizzi hand woven strap.  Altogether this is a remarkable set, that just cries out to be used.  As the old saying goes, “it would do well to run the river with.”  It would be right at home on the Ohio, the Monongahela, or the Cumberland before the Revolution.

Josh said “I built the rifle to donate because I wanted to do my part in helping to preserve an important part of our history. I feel that the CLA/CLF is doing a great job at this. I want to thank them for giving me a chance to donate and help in educating and preserving such an important part of history.”

Josh Wrightsman’s contact information is catfishingpro@hotmail.com

Gary Tingler’s email is treeingwalkers@hotmail.com

( how could you go wrong with those emails?)

Copy by H Ahlers and J Wrightsman

photos by R Lambert

Larry Pletcher, editor

Few items in a modern longhunter’s kit are as important as a comfortable possibles bag. Buyers on today’s market can find few bags as well made, aesthetically pleasing, or long lasting than those crafted by Kentucky artist Bill Smith.

Smith produces a custom-made bag for the CLA auction each year, and this year’s exceptional offering is sure to please prospective bidders. Smith describes the bag as a small haversack or messenger’s bag, and it’s perfectly sized for a day hunt. Typical of the artist’s work, this bag is constructed entirely of historically appropriate materials. The body of the bag is crafted from genuine hemp canvas, at one time a staple agricultural product of frontier Kentucky. Smith dyed the canvas in black walnut hulls and then sealed the surface with beeswax. The front flap and shoulder strap is crafted from heavy weight but supple cow hide, and both are fitted with hand-forged iron buckles. The body of the bag is entirely hand-sewn with 5 strand waxed linen.

Bill Smith’s bags are exemplary samples of the leatherworker’s craft and have set a precedent in the field for quality. The artist explains that he plans to donate a bag to the CLA auction “every year until I can’t make bags anymore.” It’s simply his way of supporting a worthy endeavor. “I want to give back to the CLA,” says Smith, “it’s a wonderful organization.”

For more information on the work of the artist, contact:

Bill Smith

wsmithblackpowder@windstream.net

270-737-3597

Copy by Joshua Shepherd

Photos by David Wright

Larry Pletcher, editor

 

This great Andrew Knez painting was scheduled to be auctioned last year. That did not happen. Your auction Chairman was a bit remiss in the logistics also Andrew unfortunately was involved in a serious automobile accident on his way to the auction. We deferred the auction of the painting off to this year. We are happy to say Andrew has recovered nicely and should be at the auction this year. We have straightened out the logistics and the painting should also be there. Joshua Shepherd’s fine write-up from last year follows.

Attendees of the CLA’s live auctions are regularly treated to a stunning array of arms and accoutrements from some of the longrifle culture’s best artisans, but the bidders at the 2016 event will be afforded a truly once-in-a-lifetime opportunity: the chance to own an original painting by noted frontier artist Andrew Knez Jr.

The oil-on-canvas masterwork, titled I See It Too, depicts a mounted frontiersman gripping a longrifle balanced across the pommel of his saddle; more than that, it’s a truly exceptional depiction of the frontier character. Both horse and rider have clearly seen something on the trail that demands their attention – perhaps game, smoke, or Indians – but the artist has lent the painting a bit of edgy mystique. The rifleman and his mount are obviously “intent on something”, says the artist, “but it’s not life or death yet. I like to leave a little bit to the imagination of the viewer.”

The remarkable canvas constitutes one of the showcase offerings for this year’s auction and is sure to attract a good bit of appropriate attention from collectors. “We all need to support the CLA in whatever way is practical,” says Knez. His donation of I See It Too, observes the artist, “is the most sensible way to raise funds” for a worthy cause: the continued vitality of the Contemporary Longrifle Association.

Andrew is a member of the American Plains Artists, Artists of the American West and a signature member of the National Oil and Acrylic Painters’ Society.
Andrew’s work may be viewed at http://www.andrewknezjr.com
You may contact Andrew at 724-969-3200.
copy by Joshua Shepherd
photos by Gordon Barlow

Larry Pletcher, editor

Young people on the frontier went about armed from an early age. In “Thoughts on Kentucky Rifle in the Golden Age” Joe Kindig Jr. shows a 30 inch barreled youth’s rifle he attributes to Wolfgang Haga. This is an early gun with a brass box and raised carving. Kindig also notes that he owned another boys rifle by Fredrick Zorger dated 1805 that was engraved and had a patchbox. Nathan Boone related killing a deer with a rifle in 1793 when he was 12 years old. He also stated he had a smaller “bird rifle” before that. (We have what is very likely a copy of Nathan’s deer rifle in the auction donated by Ed Fish.) So in addition to cut down, old muskets we know that some lucky young people received some classy purpose built firearms.

Terry Methe has made a grand style boy’s or girl’s smooth rifle for the auction. This gun is 35 1/2 inches in overall length with a 23” barrel, 5/8 of an inch across the flats. A 36 caliber, the gun is light and handy with a 11” length of pull.

The diminutive flintlock is one of this guns most striking features. Carefully crafted in an English style, the lock is perfectly sized for the rifle, and it is lightning fast.

This smooth rifle has engraved brass furniture, raised carving on the highly figured maple stock and a nice patchbox. Terry Methe’s signature is engraved on the barrel. This nicely made rifle will probably make a life-long shooter out of some lucky young person.

Terry Methe’s contact information is 636 394 6865

Copy by H Ahlers

Photos by R Lambert

Larry Pletcher, editor

 

The successful colonial farmer, wealthy merchant or Virginia aristocrat, wanted his equipment to send a message about his social status.   A fine rifle or fowling piece would be accompanied by fine shooting bag and horn. By the beginning of the French and Indian war rococo decoration and dark leather were very much in style.

Tom and Sandy Greco, repeat auction supporters, have created this refined and historically appropriate hunting set for this years auction. The set is comprised of a belt pouch, 7 by 6 inches; a hunting bag, roughly 8 1/2 inches high and 8 inches wide: and a powder horn roughly 11 inches around the outside curve.

The leather pieces are of cow hide, stained with vinegar stain, and lined with sueded calf skin. It has brass buckles and tactsThe craftsmanship on both leather pieces is top quality, with gussets, welts, binding on the edges and lined flaps. The flaps are decorated with with diamond pattern engraving and small brass tacks. Both have brass buckles. The top grain lined strap for the shooting bag with two brass buckles and D rings pairs perfectly with the bag.

The powder horn is as elegant as they get. Tom Greco’s carefully crafted horn is set off by a classic rococo leaf pattern designed and engraved by Sandy Greco, who once again demonstrates her mastery of 18th century art forms. A panel is provided for the owner to place his name. The horn has a separate strap, appropriate for a gentleman’s outfit, meticulously crafted and decorated with wooden beads.   The horn has subtle little touches like the woven cord securing the spout and the twist in the stable securing the front strap.

All the pieces are marked with the Greco fish and G touch mark.

Tom and Sandy Greco’s contact information is

flintlock52@yahoo.com

phone 773-744-5401

copy by H Ahlers

Photo 1 R Lambert

Other photos H Ahlers

Larry Pletcher, editor

For General George Washington, the mundane duties of supply and logistics would come to be as important as strategy and tactics. Washington, who cut his teeth on the western frontier during the French and Indian War, was keenly aware that appropriate clothing was crucial to the fighting trim of his men. When the cash-strapped Continental Congress decided in 1775 to supply the army with linen hunting shirts, Washington was concerned that the men would be ill-prepared for cold weather. In a letter to Massachusetts authorities, the general strongly suggested an article of clothing that could be worn under the frock and would be “cheaper and more convenient” than a full uniform. Each soldier, he thought, needed to have “a warm Waistcoat.”

From the drawing rooms of London to the wild American backcountry, the waistcoat was a ubiquitous article of clothing in the 18^th century. At this year’s CLA fundraising auction, bidders will have the opportunity to take home a custom-made circa 1750 waistcoat from artist Karen Hainlen. The waistcoat is one of the most crucial articles of clothing for today’s reenactors, and Hainlen offers some of the finest garments available to the living history community. This waistcoat is made from period appropriate linsey-woolsey, hand spun and hand woven by Hainlen. The artist, who keeps historical authenticity paramount to her work, used an authentic period pattern by “L.P. Ryan.”

The back and lining is cut from 100% linen material.  All topstitching, buttonholes and eyelets are done by hand. This waistcoat has functional pockets on the outside and a hidden pocket inside the left front.  The outside shoulder seam has been designed to 18th century style but the lining shoulder seam has been cut to 21st century style so that the wearer “feels” a comfortable modern shoulder seam. Even small details like the buttons have received close attention to blend seamlessly with the garment. “I use a button base,” explains the artist, “and cover it with the same Linsey-Woolsey” used on the front of the waistcoat. The buyer may keep this waistcoat – an X-large, 46-48 – or trade for one of a different style, size or material preference. A trade may require additional time to make a custom waistcoat.

Hainlen, who’s listed as one of the nation’s top artisans by Early American Life magazine, has been sewing since she was eight years old and has been spinning and weaving for nearly two decades. The artist notes that the CLA is an important facet of her career. “It means that I am an artisan that does quality work keeping with the traditions that our early patriot ancestors used.  I like using these skills that I have learned, keeping them alive.  There is just something very rewarding when making something entirely from scratch and also very period correct.”

 

For more information on the work of the artist, contact:

Karen Hainlen

Apple Cart Creations
www.applecartcreations.com
765-210-4080

Copy by Joshua Shepherd

Photos by David Wright

Larry Pletcher, editor

The Pennsylvania style hunting bag can be more complex than the styles encountered on the frontier in the Southern Highlands. Eastern Pennsylvania was more settled and specialized craftsman such as cordwainers, bootmakers and tanners were available. An active commerce in trade and cash existed east of Fort Cumberland in the mid 18th century. Although homemade bags were in common use, bags with linings and a bit more style are often encountered, This Pennsylvania Dutch influenced bag created by Steve Lasely is an example of these.

Ed Fish is donating a copy of a very important rifle currently owned by Brian LaMaster. The rifle bears an inscription on the patchbox, N D Boone, Kaintuck done in a primitive style. Based on this inscription and extensive research Brian believes the original rifle may have been owned by Nathan Boone, and that it was built by Daniel Boone and William Arbuckle around 1790. The rifle could have been used by Nathan in the early 1790’s.

 

Among the tribes of the eastern woodlands, few symbols could be as potent as the ball headed war club. Missionary John Heckewelder, who spent a lifetime on the frontiers of Pennsylvania and Ohio, explained that “When the Indians have determined to take revenge” they would leave a carved war club at the site of an ambush. It was a stark tribal message that many Europeans failed to grasp, but which native warriors intuitively understood. “This war club is purposefully left that the enemy may know to what nation the act is to be ascribed,” observed Heckewelder, “or, in other words, war will be forthwith declared against them.”

In one of the most unique offerings of this year’s CLA fundraising auction, artist Gordon Barlow has crafted an exceptional reproduction of an 18th century ball headed war club. Carved from ash and measuring 3” thick and 18” long, this fearsome club is sure to become an heirloom work of art. The ball itself is gripped by the open mouth of a snake, a traditional tribal motif. “To the Native American,” explains the artist, “the serpent is symbolic of immortality.” Barlow’s finishing techniques imparted the piece with subtle aging that renders it nearly indistinguishable from surviving originals. The snake itself is fitted with glass eyes, and using a mixture of stains and paint, the artist achieved a color scheme straight from the 18th century.

 

An accomplished woodworker, Barlow remains a driving force within the CLA, an organization that he helped form in 1996. Bidders at this year’s auction will not only have the opportunity to take home a remarkable work of art from a CLA artist, but a museum-quality reproduction from one of the pivotal figures in the preservation of traditional frontier arts.

 

CLA Auction item – Sculpture by Bruce Meurer

For any craftsperson, the successful marriage of three-dimensional and two-dimensional disciplines is one of the most difficult hurdles of the creative arts. Buyers at this year’s CLA fundraising auction will have the chance to own a unique sculpture by master carver Bruce Meurer that skillfully accomplishes the feat.

Meurer executed the piece in basswood, a tight-grained medium favored by professional woodcarvers. Measuring 11” high, the bust depicts a typical warrior of the eastern woodlands during the 18^th century. The sculpture itself, however, is anything but typical, and the amount of detail that the artist was able to capture at such a diminutive scale is remarkable. The minutest trappings of the warrior’s possessions are historically accurate and expertly carved. He’s depicted with a French fusil slung over his back and a turkey plume adorning his scalp lock. The warrior’s chest is draped with strands of carved wampum beads, and each earlobe is adorned with a loop of sterling silver wire.

To bring life to the sculpture, the artist finished the carving by utilizing a palette of thinned oil paints mixed with Danish oil. Meurer’s “wet-on-wet” technique has been favored by master painters for centuries and results in an appropriately muted appearance. The colors, he observes, “blend together and appear as a thin stain instead of heavy paint and the wood grain shows through creating a soft, blended look.” Perched atop a finely figured tiger maple base, the final result is a one-of-a-kind sculpture directly from the hands of the artist.

Meurer is not only a skilled wood carver but a long-time reenactor who brings a familiarity with history to the work bench. He’s been carving for over two decades, and, he explains, has been “a serious student of the eastern woodlands cultures since about 2001 and they are my nearly exclusive subject matter.”

For Meurer, the CLA is a natural fit. “The organization,” he says, “provides me with comradeship with other people of like interest and a sense of helping to portray and spread the history of America through my art.”

For more information on the work of Bruce Meurer, contact the artist directly at:

621 E. Call St.

Algona, IA 50511

wdpecker@netamumail.com

cell (515)320-3428

text by J Shepherd

photos by D Wright

Larry Pletcher, editor

 

 

CLA Auction Item – Belt Knife by Mike Davis

Mike Davis has produced a fine Woodbury style belt knife for this years action. Mike is a repeat donor, having donated an iron mounted rifle last year that sold very well.

This year Mike has turned out a 6 inch bladed knife in a classic frontier pattern. The whitetail antler handle with a poured pewter bolster shows Mike’s association with House brothers school of knife making. If you only wanted to carry one knife, this would do very well. As Mike quipped “Don’t know what else to say about a knife except that when you pick up the right one, you know it.” Pick this one up and you will be a bidder.

CLA – Auction item
Longhunter’s Knife and Sheath by Heinz Ahlers

I have always liked the longknife style. The design choices for a longknife vary from a heavy bladed, thick handled, fighting knife with a cross guard to a thin bladed utilitarian butcher knife style. I believe a longhunter preferred to carry tools that could meet multiple challenges. This longknife seeks to combine everyday utility with a potential for combat.

CLA Auction item:
In September of 1736, nineteen chiefs from the Six Nations – the Iroquois Confederacy – arrived at Philadelphia to strengthen the “covenant chain”, or traditional alliance, with British officials in Pennsylvania. When Kanickhungo, the chieftan who spoke on behalf of the Seneca tribe, rose to speak, he expressed “Satisfaction in the friendly and good Disposition of you our Brethren, towards all the Indians of the Six Nations.” As a record of his words and a testament of his own forthrightness, the sachem then presented Pennsylvania officials with a wampum belt “of white Wampum of eleven Rows, with four black St. George’s Crosses on it.” In the delicate game of frontier diplomacy, the belt was a powerful symbol of good faith.

For this year’s CLA fundraising auction, artist Matthew Bowles has painstakingly crafted a remarkable reproduction of the belt that was originally made for the “Treaty of Friendship” with the Iroquois in 1736. While conducting background historical research, Bowles ran across a description of the belt in treaty records which were printed by none other than Benjamin Franklin. Intrigued by the original 18th century description of the belt, Bowles got to work and closely followed the original treaty notes in crafting the reproduction. The belt measures an impressive 2.75″x34.5″, woven on leather lace using white thread. The beads are glass reproduction wampum that closely approximates the original shell pieces used. “As best as anyone knows,” explains the artist, “this is the only reproduction of the belt.”

This offering of the 2017 CLA auction presents a unique opportunity for bidders to obtain a museum-quality piece. Wampum belts are visually stunning works of art and the reproduction of this belt was in good hands. The artist has been making wampum belts, and studying the history behind it all, for nearly a decade and a half. “Beadwork has been something I’ve always enjoyed,” says Bowles, “and I’ve had a blast weaving wampum as it combines the original native materials and European goods into permanent records of their talks.”
The donation of this exceptional piece is the artist’s way of assisting the organization which is at the heart of the longrifle culture. Bowles’ experience with the CLA has been nothing but positive. “So far,” he says, “I have found everyone to be fantastic people.”

For further information on the work of the artist, contact:
Matthew Bowles
3572 Wolf Creek Road
Narrows, VA 24124
matthew.bowles.34@gmail.com

text by Joshua Shepherd
photos by D Andy Wright

Larry Pletcher, editor

 

The Contemporary Longrifle Association is proud to announce the 2017 Fund Raising Live Auction will be held on Friday, August 18, 2017 in the Grand Ball Room at the Lexington Convention Center in Lexington Ken-tucky. If you cannot attend or are not a member of the CLA there is an ab-sentee bidding process. Contact the CLA for details.

More information will be available soon on the to the CLA website at longri-fle.com by going to website and clicking the CL Foundation button. While the website is under construction our friends have agreed to posting some items for us.

(Made in the Tansel style by Tim Crosby and TC Albert)

text by Tim Albert

As war between Britain and the American colonies loomed, in a letter to his Prime Minister Lord North, King George wrote:

“The New England governments are in a state of rebe-llion, blows must decide whether they are to be subject to this country or independent. … The war is inevitable — and let it come!”

More prophetic words were never spoken, for blows would indeed decide. They would go on to decide again soon after in the War of 1812, and then again in every other war or conflict our young nation would find itself entan-gled in thereafter. Caught up in these events, many now famous American families would follow similar paths of western migration, patterns of frontier life, and answer the nation’s calls for patriotic service, including the ances-tors of Thomas Lincoln.

Descended directly from English puritans and original members of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, Thomas Lincoln’s father was born in Berks County Pennsylvania in 1744. He went on to become a prominent land owner and farmer in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley, and during the revolu-tion served as Captain in the Augusta County militia, helping to give a few of the blows that decided the question of our nations independence.

Like many others, Captain Lincoln and his young family had followed Dan-iel Boone to Kentucky. Tragically, it was there that Thomas saw his father killed by Indians while he and his brothers helped him clear the fields of a new farm stead near Floyd’s Fork. Thomas himself barely escaped the tomahawk that day. Luckily he was saved in the nick of time by a well-aimed rifle shot fired by his older brother Mordecai.

In a way, Thomas’s luck ended there. Being the youngest he didn’t inherit any of his father’s estate and had to quickly learn to fend for himself. As a young bachelor he was known locally as something of a shiftless roamer, earning a living at various times as a farmer and a carpenter. Even after his marriage to Nancy Hanks in 1806, he continued to supplement his income as needed by taking odd jobs around the county as diverse as road build-ing, clearing land and bear trapping.

In 1809 on their farm at Sinking Creek, Nancy bore a son that the couple named after Thomas’s father Abraham, but by 1811 Thomas had taken them to a farm located near Knob Creek. Here he became fairly prosperous for a time, but like many others including
Daniel Boone, Thomas would eventually lose title to most of his property due to Kentucky’s many shingled surveys and contested land claims.

Still on the move, by 1816 Thomas had taken his family across the Ohio River to the Little Pigeon Creek community in what is now Spencer County Indiana. There, in 1818 Thomas’s wife died from milk sickness, a malady contracted from drinking the milk from a cow that had eaten the poisonous snake root plant. Though still living in extreme poverty, Thomas soon re-married and stayed in the community until 1830 when another outbreak of milk sickness along the Ohio River sent them to Macon County Illinois.

When Thomas prepared to move yet again in 1831, young Abraham finally put his foot down and went his own way, for all practical purposes ending what had always been a very difficult relationship between father and son. Life had been extremely hard on Thomas, dealing him many cruel blows. Life would be just as hard on his son, who as fate would have it, would go on to lead our nation through yet another turbulent time when only blows would decide again.

This horn, in the Tansel style, commemorates Thomas Lincoln and Captain Lincoln. Tim Crosby did a fine job on building the horn itself. The style is faultless from the screw tip to the butt. And Tim Albert has done some of his finest scrimshaw work on this horn. The horn also includes one of Tim’s hand drawn and colored renditions of the horn art on a flat sheet of archival paper.

Once again the Contemporary Longrifle Foundation is presenting a great auction of outstanding items at the The Contemporary Longrifle Association Fund Raising Live Auction. The auction will be held on Friday, August 18, 2017 in the Grand Ball Room at the Lexington Convention Center in Lexington Kentucky. If you cannot attend or are not a member of the CLA there is an absentee bidding process. Contact the CLA for details. This is an auction item.