Throughout the 18th and first half of the 19th century, all firearms required a portable container for gun powder. In America, the preferred material was cow horn which was readily available, inexpensive and water resistant. It had another important quality; when properly heated it was moldable. It could be flattened and used to make combs, spoons or window panes. It was the 18th century plastic. Moreover, a cow horn had a large natural oval opening that could be molded into a round orifice. This allowed artisans with access to and skills with a lathe, to turn and tightly fit a butt to the horn. They could likewise turn a tip for the spout end. This tip may be threaded, pinned or turned in place. These decorative elements, either simple or fancy, could be created relatively quickly.
In this book, powder horns with lathe turned butts and/or tips are called "professionally made" and the involved artisans "horners". For them it was an economic opportunity; a way to make or at least augment a living. Like other handcraftsmen of the period, whose output was their advertisement, the horners often put their heart and soul into their products. Their work rapidly became the "Cadillac" horns of the era. It has been recognized that similar artisans such as gunsmiths, furniture makers, etc. developed regional characteristics in their decorative styles. The works of the Pennsylvania horn shops have been well delineated by Art DeCamp in his pivotal work, Pennsylvania Horns of the Trade. The groundbreaking aim of this two volume study is to do the same for the rest of the horn making areas of our country, particularly the south, for the 1750-1850 period. In contrast to gunsmiths and furniture makers who, on occasion, signed their work, the "horners" rarely did, thus making the drawing of conclusions much more speculative. The author has spent nearly fifty years working on this project. He has been greatly assisted by fellow collectors and institutions in putting together this two volume series with well over three hundred reasonably documented powder horns, and over 1,500 illustrations. These include examples from far flung parts of America such as Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, South Carolina, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, New York, New England and others.
Printed on fine paper, hard bound in 11-1/2" x 8-3/4" format with 385 pages, all full color.
The Table of Contents includes the following:
In this book, powder horns with lathe turned butts and/or tips are called "professionally made" and the involved artisans "horners". For them it was an economic opportunity; a way to make or at least augment a living. Like other handcraftsmen of the period, whose output was their advertisement, the horners often put their heart and soul into their products. Their work rapidly became the "Cadillac" horns of the era. It has been recognized that similar artisans such as gunsmiths, furniture makers, etc. developed regional characteristics in their decorative styles. The works of the Pennsylvania horn shops have been well delineated by Art DeCamp in his pivotal work, Pennsylvania Horns of the Trade. The groundbreaking aim of this two volume study is to do the same for the rest of the horn making areas of our country, particularly the south, for the 1750-1850 period. In contrast to gunsmiths and furniture makers who, on occasion, signed their work, the "horners" rarely did, thus making the drawing of conclusions much more speculative. The author has spent nearly fifty years working on this project. He has been greatly assisted by fellow collectors and institutions in putting together this two volume series with well over three hundred reasonably documented powder horns, and over 1,500 illustrations. These include examples from far flung parts of America such as Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, South Carolina, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, New York, New England and others.
Printed on fine paper, hard bound in 11-1/2" x 8-3/4" format with 385 pages, all full color.
The Table of Contents includes the following:
- Preface
- Introduction: Background and Purpose of Book
- Organization of Book
- Chapter 1: General Thoughts
- Tips
- Butts
- Bands
- Function of Screwtips
- Who Made the Horns
- General Rules
- Chapter 2: Early Horns
- King's Mountain
- Chapter 3: The Philadelphia Story
- Second Generation Philadelphia
- Bucks/Chester Variants
- Early Lancaster
- Chapter 4: Virginia Horns
- Chapter 5: Large Rifleman's Horns
- Chapter 6: Furniture Ring Horns
- Chapter 7: Pinned Collars
- Chapter 8: Two Piece Tips
- Chapter 9: Rockingham County
- Chapter 10: Covington
- Chapter 11: Virginia Miscellaneous
- Chapter 12: Southwest Virginia
- Chapter 13: West Virginia
- Acknowledgments
- Appendices A - E
ISBN: 978-0-9827634-1-4