Floral Leather Carving

[Red Owl]

Wild Bill Hickok had a couple of different holsters for his Navy Colts. One set had very crude carving another fish scale stamping. In any event, does anyone know when carving leather (Floral or Oak Leaf, etc.) first appeared?

 

[Tom A Hawk]

According to this source - Middle ages.

https://www.ehow.com/about_6635170_history-leather-tooling.html

 

[Red Owl]

Thanks- had no idea it has been around that long.

 

[Capt. Jas.]

The floral and oak leaf leather carving that i believe you refer to comes from western tooling probably beginning in last part of the 19th century west and forward. It derives by way of Spanish style leather working. That said, oak leaves and flowers can be seen on leather back to antiquity but the techniques and end result is nothing akin to western style floral and leaf carving in my opinion.

 

[andy52]

The floral and oak leaf leather carving that i believe you refer to comes from western tooling probably beginning in last part of the 19th century west and forward. It derives by way of Spanish style leather working. That said, oak leaves and flowers can be seen on leather back to antiquity but the techniques and end result is nothing akin to western style floral and leaf carving in my opinion.

^^^^^^^^^^
What he said...

 

[Tom A Hawk]

In my house it started in the mid 80's...

Kindly disregard the unmentionable.

 

[Red Owl]

Well, I've made a couple of Slim Jim or California holsters for Navy Colts. On the first I used Tandy's "Mule shoe" stamp to represent the old fish scale pattern but it was a little too small so I took a spike and filed out my own fish scale stamp- more rounded than pointed and about 50% larger. That came out pretty good as far as a match to old originals but on the floral- something new for me to play around with but I wasn't sure how far back it went. There is a Hickok holster with a few rough scratches but that's about it- as far as what I have located but then again I haven't searched that much.

 

[ZUG]

In my house it started in the mid 80's...

Kindly disregard the unmentionable.

View attachment 113093

Nice work and nice rig

 

[GYJ]

The more modern Sheridan style carving has evolved in the last 100yrs or so. Incised decoration of leather goods goes back thousands of years. Some of the most fascinating leather work I've seen comes from ancient Egypt.

 

[springfield art]

The floral and oak leaf leather carving that i believe you refer to comes from western tooling probably beginning in last part of the 19th century west and forward. It derives by way of Spanish style leather working. That said, oak leaves and flowers can be seen on leather back to antiquity but the techniques and end result is nothing akin to western style floral and leaf carving in my opinion.

The 1940's-50's movie and TV stuff really got it going in a popular way. Hopalong Cassidy, etc. Fun!

 

[Tom A Hawk]

The 1940's-50's movie and TV stuff really got it going in a popular way. Hopalong Cassidy, etc. Fun!

Oh...Pancho!

 

[Robby]

Oh... Cisco!

One of my favorites as a kid.
Robby

 

[B P Arn]

We doan need no steenkeen floral carveeng!

 

[tenngun]

The 1940's-50's movie and TV stuff really got it going in a popular way. Hopalong Cassidy, etc. Fun!

Tandy leather company partnered with the Boy Scouts and this was a skill for them to master
I recall Tandy making a whole line of Black powder stuff in the late seventies all laced and tooled
Looked great even if not HC

 

[davidmc62]

Well floral carving "as we know it today" is probably not as old as you wish it to be but I have seen pictures of original California style holsters with floral carving and stamping that goes back around the mid 1800's. Main and Winchester saddlery started in San Francisco in 1849 and are usually attributed to being the start of a "true frontier holster design", the slim jim style. So if they were making them in 1850's start there with your search and see if you can find information and photos of those early pieces. They dont look like Al Stohlman style carving but some of them were floral carved. it is usually accepted that by the 1860's the California style holster was quite popular and had spread to other makers in the country who also offered them. You can usually find antique examples of floral carved slim jim styled holsters on some of the collector sites.

 

[Capnball]

According to this source - Middle ages.

https://www.ehow.com/about_6635170_history-leather-tooling.html

Great article! A question I have pondered since I started tooling leather a little over a year ago.

 

[Red Owl]

Wild Bill had a Slim Jim with fish scale stamping- looks sort of like basket weave.

 

[davidmc62]

Here are 2 examples of the Main and Winchester Slim Jim or California style holsters I was referring to in my earlier post. M&W was a saddle maker in San Francisco and many believe they were the ones who kind of got the Slim Jim style going before the American Civil War. It was a popular style countrywide.

 

[Capnball]

Here are 2 examples of the Main and Winchester Slim Jim or California style holsters I was referring to in my earlier post. M&W was a saddle maker in San Francisco and many believe they were the ones who kind of got the Slim Jim style going before the American Civil War. It was a popular style countrywide.

This is a slim Jim I made for my cousin recently

 

[Red Owl]

You did a good job on the dye. I have found it really difficult to not have the dye bleed into surrounding areas.