Pistols: Dazzling FirearmsThey just do things differently in the West. In the late 1890s, for instance, the director of the Dodge City Cowboy Band used a Colt revolver as a baton, punctuating musical performances with a staccato burst of gunfire. This was no everyday gun—all dull, blued metal. On the contrary, it was a highly-embellished work of art. Guests to the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art can see the pistol that provided percussion for the Dodge City Cowboy Band, and other famous firearms, in the exhibition Pistols: Dazzling Firearms, which opens Saturday, Feb. 6.
The exhibit, created by the Autry National Center’s Museum of the American West, explores the history of handgun decoration in America through exceptional pieces representing more than 160 years of work by master engravers. Visitors will see pistols once owned by George Custer, Annie Oakley, “Wild Bill” Hickok, Presidents Ronald Reagan and John F. Kennedy, Gene Autry and Tom Mix. Some of the guns are richly inlaid with gold, silver, platinum and precious and semi-precious stones. Some have silver, gold, pearl or ivory grips. Others feature carefully wrought and engraved panels with historic scenes.
“Meet” Annie Oakley and see master engravers at work all in the gallery
It has been said that famous sharpshooter Annie Oakley could split a playing card edge-on and put five or six more holes in it before it touched the ground. Museum guests can meet the woman dubbed “little sure shot” in the exhibition gallery, as a live interpreter interacts with visitors and performs vignettes illustrating Oakley’s fascinating life. Annie will be on location Tuesdays - Fridays from 11:30 AM - 3:30 PM and from 12:00 - 5:00 PM on Saturdays and Sundays. Oakley knew the entertainment value of a dazzling pistol—she always made sure to perform using highly-decorated firearms like the mother-of-pearl and gold Smith and Wesson seen in the Pistols exhibit. The blinged-out hardware would catch the light and make her performances even more exciting for viewers.
Guests to Pistols can also learn how handgun engraving is done from masters in the art.
Mike Dubber, master engraver from Evansville, Ind., will be one of the featured engravers in the gallery. He has worked on firearms for Norman Schwarskopf, Juan Carlos King of Spain and Pope John Paul II. He will be at the museum on select weekends Feb. 20 – April 18.
Sean McVicker, master engraver, originally from Belfast, Northern Ireland. His work has been commissioned by such organizations as the U.S.Marine Corps, U.S. Department of the Navy and U.S. Air Force. His personal approach results in beautiful heirloom pieces. He will be at the museum Feb. 6 – 14.
Engraving demonstrations are sponsored by Lindsay Engraving
Artistry and history are two driving forces in the Eiteljorg’s newest exhibition. Each one of the featured pistols was selected based on quality, condition and elegance. Some design motifs are based on well-known photographic portraits of Annie Oakley and Buffalo Bill Cody. Others include details from Western paintings by artists who captured the spirit of the American West. Gene Autry’s Tiffany Colt Dragoon, for example, is elaborately decorated with themes from two well-known paintings depicting the West: Frederic Remington’s painting A Dash for the Timber, executed in gold and silver with contrasting blue steel, and a scene from Buffalo Hunt Chase, by George Catlin. The intricate pairing of images from these two paintings illustrates the imagination and diverse design sources used in creating these small works of hand-held metal art.
Pistols: Dazzling Firearms pays homage to the artistry of particular pistols, rather than to fire power. The museum has long received requests for a firearms display. This collection is highly significant – with historic and pop culture ties -- and features 19th and 20th century pistols most visitors would rarely have the opportunity to view.
The exhibition runs through April 18.
Programming
On March 13, the members of the Indiana Antique Arms Collectors Association will be presenting a one-time show of firearms and related artifacts from their personal collections. Frontier, military, sporting and hunting arms related to the West will be a special feature. Annie Oakley and other Wild Women of the West will be featured in the spring performance of the Indianapolis Women’s Chorus at the Eiteljorg on March 20 and 21.
I heard about this on the radio and it looks to be very interesting. I have always been a fan of gun art, sadly though not wealthy enough to own much of it. I do admire the quality craftsmanship used to make and decorate these guns.