On October 2, 1892, the Dalton Gang attempted to outdo other famed outlaws by robbing two banks in Coffeyville, Kansas. Among the personal arsenal the gang brought to the occasion were 10 specially ordered, pearl-gripped single-action .45-caliber Colt pistols. The Pamplin Collection owns both Bob and Frank Dalton’s guns. Among the icons of the American…
Author: Myrian Cavalli
Wild West
Newspaper (Sunday Mirror) announcing the 1937 death of Emmett Dalton, the last of the famed Dalton Brothers who robbed the Coffeyville, Kansas, banks in 1892. Emmett survived the shootout, served time in prison, then had a career in the early movies. Photograph of Emmett Dalton, lying wounded, following the raid on the banks in Coffeyville….
The West of lawmen, outlaws, showmen, heroes, and rogues
One of the West’s great iconic artifacts, this pistol belonged to Bob Dalton at the time he attempted the famous Coffeyville, Kansas, bank robbery. On October 5, 1892, Dalton and other members of his gang stormed the C.M. Condon & Company’s Bank and the First National Bank in Coffeyville. Members of the town responded with…
Western
Buffalo rifles, the legendary “Big Gun” on the northern Plains. The weight and length of the barrels provided supreme accuracy and killing power. These were the types of guns that nearly extinguished the great buffalo herds in the 1880s and 1890s. The painting of Sioux buffalo hunters, The Hunters, show hunters using a lance and…
Revolutionary War
Virginia Cherry Stocked American Pistol, 1776. An all-American made pistol with “Liberty Cap” engraved on the trigger guard. Made at the Rappahannock Forge in present day Harper’s Ferry at the outset of the American Revolution. A large, company size Revolutionary War canteen dated “AH – 1779” (possibly the owner’s initials), with original red paint, iron…
Guns, spears, bows and arrows, knives, tomahawks, and cannons representing battle, the hunt, and recreation
Step-brothers David Farragut and David Porter, both U.S. naval captains, worked together to capture the forts protecting New Orleans in the spring of 1862. For this immensely important Union victory early in the Civil War, Captain Farragut presented this pistol to Captain Porter. The revolver is a cased English Webley “Longspur” single action pistol engraved…
The weapons, uniforms, gear, and paraphernalia from two centuries of American warfare
Accouterments of the Buffalo Soldiers shown here are part of an excellent assemblage originally built by Kareem Abdul Jabbar. The still-growing collection of Buffalo Soldier materials includes several uniforms, weapons, and pieces of military and personal equipment belonging to members of the African American infantry units that fought in the post-Civil War western Indian Wars….
Original photographs of the invasion by the U.S. Marines of Iwo Jima.
Photos taken by Marine and Navy photographers of the battle to capture the island from Japanese defenders so that the island could be used as an airbase to launch attacks on Japan itself. One of the iconic photographs of WWII was the raising of the American Flag on Mount Suribachi on February 23, 1945, though…
Return from the Market
John Lewis Krimmel’s study for Return from the Market. Sometimes called “the American Hogarth,” Krimmel (American, 1789-1821) was the country’s first noted painter of genre scenes. Born in Germany, Krimmel emigrated to Philadelphia in 1809 and soon became a member of the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. He was among the first artists in America…
Boating on the Fourth of July
(ca. 1860s) by Asher Durand (American 1796-1886). Known for his seminal work in helping found the Hudson River School, Asher Durand’s work is exhibited in every major American art museum. Durand is particularly remembered for his detailed portrayals of trees, rocks, and foliage. He was an advocate for drawing directly from nature with as much…