Man In The Crowd's Vintage Cowboy Boots and such

Sole Mates: Cowboy Boots and Art

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 16 May 2010 01:33:00 +0000

I never really need a reason to visit Santa Fe. If I did, this exhibition at the New Mexico Museum of Art would be the best one.

Finished boots at Deana McGuffin's Shop, Albuquerque NM *

"Sole Mates: Cowboy Boots and Art celebrates images of the West and views cowboy boots as important symbols of western life.
The exhibition presents more than 130 examples of contemporary and historic art, including paintings, drawings, advertisements, postcards, sculptures, video imagery, and of course cowboy boots.
These images investigate changing aspects of the West by addressing freedom, loneliness, gender, fashion, allure and youth culture."

Oak Leaves, cowgirl boots by Lisa Sorrell **

At the New Mexico Museum of Art, on The Plaza in downtown Santa Fe, New Mexico May 15, 2010 through Oct 17, 2010.

A Bucking Bronco by Frederic Remington ***

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* photo by Blair Clark, 2009.
** Oak Leaves, 2008, Lisa Sorrell, courtesy of the artist.
*** A Bucking Bronco, 1888, wood engraving, Frederic Remington.

1950s Custom Cowboy Boots

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 21:15:00 +0000

Made by Dixon's Boot Company. Wichita Falls, Texas

These are looking for a new home... see my Vintage Cowboy Boot Exchange for details...

The Straight Shooter

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 19:30:00 +0000

...another good cowboy gone west...

Joe Bowman

April 12, 1925 - June 28, 2009

R.I.P.

Joe Bowman - Straight Shooter

Men in the rough - on the trails all new-broken -
Those are the friends we remember with tears;
Few are the words that such comrades have spoken -
Deeds are their tributes that last through the years.

Men in the rough - sons of prairie and mountain -
Children of nature, warm-hearted, clear-eyed;
Friendship with them is a never-sealed fountain;
Strangers are they to the altars of pride.

Men in the rough - curt of speech to their fellows -
Ready in everything, save to deceive;
Theirs are the friendships that time only mellows,
And death cannot sever the bonds that they weave.

Men in the Rough by Arthur Chapman, 1917

Acme Custom Cowgirl Boots

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 30 May 2009 23:39:00 +0000

Sweet pair of 1950s Acme cowgirl boots.

Made for Acme by the Lucchese Boot Company in San Antonio.

Lucchese made a damn good boot in those days.

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Single needle stitching

Cowgirl Boots: Collection J. Davis

Photography: J. Davis

Vintage Cowgirl Boots

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 17:11:00 +0000

Great old cowgirl boots. Bench made. No makers mark. They remind me of boots made by C.H. Hyer, Kuykendall and Starnes.

Heart Stitched Cowgirl Boots

Maker Unknown. ca. 1900
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Bootmakers and cobblers set-up shop in communities along the early cattle trails. Cattle drives in the 1850s could take as long as five or six months. Most started in San Antonio or Fredericksburg. The drives followed a southern route through El Paso to San Diego or Los Angeles and on north to San Francisco. Cattle were trailed to West Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Kansas... beef for the frontier forts and Indian reservations.

By 1866, ranching and cattle trailing was a thriving, growing business. The Chisholm Trail. The Goodnight-Loving Trail. The Western or Dodge City Trail. Trails that would come to define the face of the American West as we know it today.

The bootmakers, known and unknown, who lived and worked along those trails and the boots they made would come to define the Art of the Boot as we know it today.

Cowgirl Boots: Collection J. Davis

Photography: J. Davis

Rodeo Roots: Saddle bronc riding

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 17:44:00 +0000

John Jordan on Strawberry Roan, 1941. Photo: J.A. Stryker

Saddle bronc riding is a "roughstock" event, both rider and horse are judged. Many cowboys will tell you that Saddle bronc riding is the toughest event in rodeo. I believe that to be the case as well. The technical skills are hard to master. The rider must mark out his horse on the first jump from the chute. To score requires strength, style, grace and precise timing. To score well? Rider and mount must be 100% at odds with each other... yet each must leave the arena a winner. It is the classic rodeo event.

The Saddle bronc riding event as we know it today evolved from "busting"... old timer cowboy slang for breaking and training wild horses to work the cattle ranches in the Old West. It was hard and dangerous work.

"You know if you get a name for doing something they will always put you on it. It's like these fellows that don't mind riding broncs. Once it get known that they're willing to do it, if there's a mean horse in the outfit they'll get him in their string every time. I was good at wrastling calves even if I was small, so I'd always get the job. But I didn't like to ride broncs - said I was afriad of them. Well, I was. Lots of them were the same way. No good cowhand would work on a horse that was going to go to bucking with him in the middle of the herd. A green horse was all right for a long ride. But not when you were working with cattle."
- Teddy Blue Abbot

A cowboy who broke horses was a "buster". A specialist, he traveled from ranch to ranch every spring, breaking and training horses. Usually for $5.00 a head. The "busted" horses were destined to become cow ponies. A cowboy's livelihood and his life depended on his string of horses, the cow ponies in his string were the most important tool he had when working cattle.

One cowboy who didn't "mind riding broncs" was Lee Warren. Photographer and journalist L.A. Huffman captured Warren working the round corral on the Box and Arrow Ranch in Montana. The year was 1904.

"While we waited for the horses, Warren took stock of his outfit. Just a plain, ordinary, cow-saddle, bridle, and lariat, spurs, quirt, and some short pieces of grass rope for the cross-hobbing... The big gate is swung open, and the day's work is corralled. An inner gate swings, another swift rush and the six beautiful beasts are bunched, snorting and trembling, in the round corral..."
- L.A. Huffman

The Flying Noose Falls True, c.1904. Collotype. L.A. Huffman

After roping a bronc, Warren would bridle his catch. Next came a saddle blanket, then a forty-pound cow-saddle, Warren's slicker rolled under the pommel.

The First Pull at the Latigo, c.1904. Collotype. L.A. Huffman

Twisting the bronc's ear, Warren would mount the bronc. Eight hundred pounds of horse flesh and muscle ready to go off like dynamite, still for for the moment...

The Ear Twist, c.1904. Collotype. L.A. Huffman

Set in his saddle and ready, slicker for hazing in his right hand, Warren would grasp the rein in his left hand while releasing the bronc's ear. Then all hell broke loose.

Bucking Broncho, c.1904. Collotype. L.A. Huffman

"... one or two quick, short, nervous steps he discovers that his legs are once more unshackled. Up he goes in a long curving leap like a buck. Down goes his head, and he blats that indescribable bawl that only thoroughly maddened, terrified bronchos can fetch, something uncanny, something between a scream and a groan, that rasps the nerves and starts the chill hunted feeling working on your spine... as round and round he leaps, reined hard, now right, now left, by his rider. Again and again, he goes high, with hind feet drawn under, as if reaching for the stirrups. Fore-legs thrust forward, stiff as crowbars, driving hoofprints in the packed earth, like mauls as, as he lands; yet light and tight, seeming never to catch the brunt of the jolts, sits his rider."
- L.A. Huffman

The quirt. The spurs. The slicker for hazing. They were the ools that gave the cowboy an edge. But it was grit and mettle that prevailed in the end and the cowboy almost always won out. And the beautiful beasts that refused to be broken? They were called Outlaws and Killers. Cowboys from near and far tried to ride them for eight seconds at ranch rodeos... few met with success.

Bucked Off, c.1890. Photograph. L.A. Huffman

Cowboys today continue to break horses much the same as Lee Warren did in 1904. The outlaw horses are called roughstock now. They will test the most able cowboy's grit... in the round corral and in the rodeo arena. Some things remain the same... as it should be.

References:
We Pointed Them North: Recollections of a Cowpuncher. E.C. Abbott And Helena Huntington Smith. Farrar & Rinehart, Inc, 1939
Before Barbed Wire: L.A. Huffman, Photographer on Horseback. Mark H. Brown and W.R. Felton. NY: Henry Holt and Co., 1956

Collotypes & Photographs: Collection J. Davis

Vintage Justin Cowgirl Boots

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 00:02:00 +0000

Post World War II was an extraordinary time in bootmaking history. Leather and thread no longer rationed. Inlays and exotic hides started to show up in factory made boots. Flamboyant designs quickly replaced older, conservative designs. Hollywood stars. Western style. Savvy marketing. The Golden Age of Cowboy Boots was in full swing.

The Justin Boot Company in Fort Worth, Texas made some extraordinary cowboy and cowgirl boots in those days. Earl and John Justin, Jr. were proud of Justin's innovative designs. Justifiably so. Elaborate inlays. Bright colors. Fancy stitching. Underslung heels. Wing tips. Justin made some stunning cowboy and cowgirl boots.

The Little Cowpoke

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1948 Justin Cowgirl Boots

The Art of the Boot
Western fashion as art by the Justin Boot Company

Justin Cowgirl Boots: Collection J. Davis
Justin Advertising Art: Collection J. Davis

Photography: J. Davis

Jack Reed

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 23:43:00 +0000

Cowboy. Rodeo Star. Civil Engineer. Bootmaker. Artist. Teacher. Not much I can say about Jack Reed that hasn’t been said better before... the man and his work are legendary.

Jack Reed in his Llano, Texas shop

An intelligent man who enjoyed conversation, Reed learned from the best. Leno Trujillio, Rios of Raymondville, Lucchese, Ray Jones. I don’t think it irrelevant that Reed and Jones were both interested in engineering. And like Ray Jones, Reed was a perfectionist, a man committed to his art.

"Some folks like to play golf or fish, but I enjoy the 372 steps of boot making." - Jack Reed

Mr. Reed made this pair of Cowboy boots boots in the late 1970s, a few years after his decision to "return" to making custom boots. Like the man who made them they are remarkable. The art of the Jack Reed. The art of the boot.

Bespoke Cowboy Boots by Jack Reed

Mr. Reed organized the first Boot, Leather and Saddle Makers Roundup. It was held in Burnet, Texas over twenty years ago. Kathy and Eddie Kimmel carry on the tradition. The 21st Annual Boot and Saddle Makers Roundup will be held October 2nd & 3rd 2009 in Witchita Falls, Texas. Tip of the hat to those good folks.

Reed also taught boot making... a one-week long 40-hour crash course in the finer points of making western style boots. More than thirty students studied under Mr. Reed. Many took to the work, and it is hard work... they continue to make custom boots in the tradition of their teacher.

Jack Reed died in 2004. He was 81 years old and had spent over 40 years making custom boots for cowboys, ranchers, businessmen and celebrities.

"They are a part of our life in Texas. We wear them because our daddies wore them, and everybody around you wears them. They go back to the days of the cattle drives, and they are still used as work boots today." - Jack Reed

Seems to me that the hereafter must be a darn good place to get yourself that pair of custom boots you've always dreamed of...

Richard Cook was Jack Reeds' last student. He bought the business when Mr. Reed retired in 2000. Cook, a former Texas Ranger and a fine artist, takes pride in his Texas heritage and promotes Reed's belief that when cowboy boots are made right, they are works of art and engineering. His shop, Richard Cook Custom Boots, is in Seguin, Texas.

Boots: Collection J. Davis
Photo of Jack Reed: Jim Arndt
Photography: J. Davis

A Cowboy Toast

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 10:20:00 +0000

May a Stetson lie close to your favorite boots,
May a saddle be where you sit.
May you always remember your Western roots,
Full of try and empty of quit.
- Lincoln Rogers

"A Cowboy Toast" courtesy of Lincoln Rogers, www.lincolnrogers.com
Till Goodan illustration, collection J. Davis

A Cowboy's Christmas

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 16:19:00 +0000

A Christmas Poem

Christmas is a-comin' soon!
Pardner, ain't ya seen?
The decorations showed up
In the stores on Halloween!

The papers just plumb fulla ads;
Some days it's three feet thick!
That's good-we got a woodstove,
'N' we're short on kindlin' sticks.

The kids all hope that Santa
Brings 'em ever'thing they chose;
"I want a Nintendo!"
"Please don't bring me any clothes!"

The Sally Army's out in force,
A-tunin' up their band;
I always drop a dollar,
'Cause they once gave me a hand.

There's some who say we've lost the track,
'N' don't know rhyme or reason,
That all this hooraw overlooks
The spirit of the season.

They point 'n' say I don't believe,
'Cause in church ya'll never find me;
But I don't need no hymns, or prayers,
Or crosses to remind me.

This year, I think I'll try
What one ole cowpoke used to do;
I'll saddle up, 'n' leave a note:
"Back in an hour, or two."

I'll ride west outta Reno,
A-followin' the river,
'Way up into the mountains
Where the air's so cold it shimmers.

Far away from stores 'n' crowds,
Where the only single sound
Will be my pony's muffled steps
Through the snow upon the ground.

'N' when I reach the perfect spot
(I'll know it when I'm there),
I'll doff my hat, 'n' feel
The icy wind blow through my hair.

I'll find the brightest star that night,
Gaze up at it, 'n' say,
"Happy Birthday, Boss,"
'N' then I'll softly ride away.

- Charley Sierra

Illustration by Till Goodan, collection J. Davis
"A Christmas Poem" by Charley Sierra, © 1994 Rip-Snortin' Press

Ray Rector, Cowboy Photographer

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 18:46:00 +0000

John Graves writes in his introduction to Cowboy Life On The Texas Plains

"there a couple of main troubles with trying to say in print anything worth saying about cowboys... an astounding lot has already been said about them, both by old cowboys themselves in reminiscences written or dictated late in life, and by observers of whom quite a few have been thoughtful persons with a good knowledge of the subject."

Mr. Graves has a point. Words can, and often do, fail us. Photography rarely does. Photographs append meaning to those events we read about. Most importantly, for me, photographs inform in ways words cannot...

.

Ray Rector c.1902

Ray Rector was a working cowboy. He plied his trade on the high plains ranches of the Texas Panhandle. As a cowhand on the XIT, Rector took part in several cattle drives. And, like many cowboys, Ray was prone to wander. But he never lost his roots. Homesickness, combined with the need to overcome malaria contracted in California, bought him back to the healthful environment of West Texas. He settled in Stamford, Texas in 1902.

Stamford, Texas c.1903

No longer able to work as a cowboy, Ray and his brother Glen bought a photography business from a photographer named Higginbotham. Higginbotham taught the two young men everything he knew about the craft of taking and developing photographs.

Glen Rector moved to California soon after he and Ray established Rector & Rector. Ray continued to take photographs in Stamford, then a bustling and growing farm and ranch supply center. Portraits. Circus parades. Church socials. Street scenes. The coming of the railroad. Ranch life. Cowboys at work and at play.

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SMS Flat Top Ranch cowboys branding a calf

Rector was happiest when he was taking pictures of the everyday activities and entertainments of ranchers and cowhands. His constant companion, a Kodak Autograph camera, was the tool he used to relive his cowboy days. Rector made many friends amongst those men, he took photographs on the Flat Top, Spur and Throckmorton divisions of the SMS Ranch.

SMS Ranch Cowboys Saddle-up

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Mr. Rector loved the cowboy way of life. He knew it would change. He also knew what was needed to keep the flame alive... a grand cowboy get together. Old timers, working cowboys and greenhorns. A get together that would perpetuate the cowboy life style he loved so dearly. Rector worked with other Stamford businessmen to realize his vision of a cowboy get together. He worked hard. The cowboy still in him.

Grand Entrance, Texas Cowboy Reunion Rodeo c.1930

The Texas Cowboy Reunion, first held in Stamford, Texas in 1930 was mostly the result of Ray Rectors' ideas and efforts.The reunion is today the largest cowboy get together and amateur rodeo in the world. Still held in Rays' hometown of Stamford. On July 4th weekend for over 70 years. Be there.

Ray Rector was born on November 23, 1884, in Indian Gap, Texas. He died at his home in Stamford, Texas in January 1933. Thanks Ray... and Happy Trails.

The photographs taken by Rector serve to remind me of a way life many think disappeared. It's still with us. Changed, one has to look harder to find it. Hell, you have to get off the interstate. You even have to get out of the car. Takes a little looking, but it's there. The cowboy life. And, you can bet your boots that you'll see a cowboy with a camera when you get there.

Margaret Rector, Rays' daughter, donated over one thousand negatives and prints to the Harry Ranson Humanities Research Center at the University of Texas at Austin in 1979. She and her brother Tommy knew how important it was to preserve what was so important to their father. Without their efforts Ray Rectors' photographs, and the history they document, may well have faded into oblivion. My hat's off to them.

M.L. Leddy

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 00:57:00 +0000

Much has been written in the name of M.L. Leddy. I'm pretty certain that the words I put down here are near superfluous. But here goes...

Frank Leddy advertising art, 1947

For those who don't know, M.L. Leddy's makes the finest custom cowboy boots you can buy. Handmade. West Texas style. Bad ass. And beautiful. As cowboy boots should be.

M.L. Leddy and his five brothers started making cowboy boots in 1922. Beverly Franklin Allen, Leddy's granddaughter, and her brother, Wilson Franklin, continue that tradition today in San Angelo, Texas.

I've owned quite a few pairs of Leddy cowboy and cowgirl boots over the years. Still have regrets of having to sell a couple of pairs. Hard times. But I'm glad to have held on to the pairs that I still have. Wear 'em too. Damn good cowboy boots.

M.L. Leddy & Sons advertising art, 1979

Wilson Leddy, one of M.L.'s brothers, made these incredible cowgirl boots for Juanita Gray. Equestrian Artist. Rodeo Queen. Horsewoman. Cowgirl. Her boots speak her voice even today.

M.L Leddy & Sons advertising art, 1979

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My favorite M.L. Leddy's boots. Going on forty. Still kick ass. These will tell you more about West Texas Style than you may care to know. Can't help but "walk like I mean it" when I pull these on.... and they hold a stirrup!

Monte Foreman illustration used in 1947 Frank Leddy Boot and Saddlery Catalog
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Frank Leddy Boot and Saddlery in Ft. Worth made these boots in 1947. Notice the boot pulls set behind the side seams? Mr. Leddy called them "dog ears". A good idea... the set back pulls make it easier to get the boots on, but I think his "straddle ears" made for a better looking boot. One thing for certain though, dog ear, straddle ear or mule ear pulls a cowboy couldn't go wrong buying Leddy cowboy boots. That's still true today.

M.L. Leddys logo, 2008

These are a couple of years new. From M.L. Leddy's Vaquero line of cowboy and cowgirl boots. Still a challenge to get on and off. Boot pulls and bootjack required. Fit like a glove. Excellent finish. High quality cowboy boots. And reasonable. You can pay more for other makers "stock" cowboy boots, but you can't get any better.

These bad boy M.L. Leddy's Vaquero boots come with a story too. I'll get to that another time.

Juanita Gray's M.L. Leddy's boots. Former Collection: J. Davis
M.L. Leddy's cowboy boots. Collection: J. Davis
Frank Leddy cowboy boots. Collection: J. Davis
Advertising & Catalog Art. Collection: J.Davis
All photography: J. Davis

Mustang

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 22:09:00 +0000

Mustang. The word conjures up all manner of images in my mind's eye. After reading Deanne Stillmans' book, Mustang. The Saga of The Wild Horse In The American West, those images have greater meaning for me.

Eloquent and entertaining. A series of related narratives. Finely written and rigorously researched. Ms. Stillman has given us a book much more than the sum of it's parts...

Mustangs. Broncos. Rough stock. Cowboys. Rodeos. Her narrative Rawhide: Of Cow Ponies and Bucking Broncos bought these images to mind.

. Bucking Broncs . Cowboys . Eight seconds .

Let 'er buck!

Untitled by John A. Stryker

Joe Alexander on "Pet" by James Fain

Untitled by Gary Winogrand

Great photographs by master photographers. Stryker and Winogrand have been my "subjects" before... check out the archives. Working on a post about James Fain. Stay tuned.

And buy Deanne Stillman's book. Mustang belongs on everyones' bookshelf.

Photographs: Collection J. Davis

1948 Nocona Boot Co. Catalog No. 77

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 19:18:00 +0000

I've been a fan of vintage Nocona cowboy boots for longer than I can remember. Damn good cowboy boots. First class all the way.

This 1948 Nocona Boot Co. Catalog No. 77 was printed during what the late Tyler Beard referred to as the "Golden Age of Cowboy Boots". Inspired design. Master Craftsmen. Savvy Marketing. And a lot of hard work.The Nocona Cowboy Boot in all its' glory.

Ms. Enid Justin and her "boys" at Nocona were on a roll. Catalogs were the axle on which that Nocona wheel rolled. Their catalogs were mailed out, handed out and handed down. There are some extraordinary cowboy boots on these pages.

Ms. Enid had a passion for Cowboy boots. She was an astute business woman as well. Nocona's mail order forms and self-measuring kits reflected her understanding of the market.

All "penciled in" prices on the pages of this catalog were at the hand of the original owner. The price list, order forms and a self-measuring kit associated with this catalog are posted in the archives. See: 1948 Nocona Boot Co. Mail Order Kit

1948 Nocona Boot Catalog No. 77: Collection of J. Davis
Photography: J. Davis

1948 Nocona Boot Co. Mail Order Kit

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 23:53:00 +0000

Sent out with a catalog and tape measure, these materials completed a Nocona Boot Company Mail Order Kit.

A cowboy could order a "stock" boot. The order form was simple and easy to use. Or he could spend an extra couple of bucks and Nocona would make the boots custom for him. Either way he received a tremendous value for his dollar.

"If it is Snap, Style, Quality, Fit or Workmanship that you want in your Boots, we are ready to give you the benefit of the years of experience, thus assuring you of every particular."

The Catalog that was an integral part of this mail order kit is available for your viewing pleasure and edification. See: 1948 Nocona Boot Co. Catalog No. 77

Nocona Mail Order Kit: J. Davis
Photography: J. Davis

Texas Cowgirls' Boots

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 22:25:00 +0000

The fella I got these from told me they belonged to a Brady, Texas cowgirl and that they were made for her by Elmer Tomlinson.

Well, they may have belonged to a Brady cowgirl. But they weren't made by Mr. Tomlinson. Tex Robin saw this post and got in touch with me about them.

Turns out that Elmer Tomlinson learned much about what he knew about boot making from Tex's father, W.L. Robin. Tex knew Elmer and knows his work. He tells me these Cowgirl boots were definitely not made by Mr. Tomlinson.

And if you don't know who Tex Robin is, well, you should. He's one of the best boot makers around. And a darn good musician to boot! Follow the link and see for yourself.

This is a great pair of Cowgirl boots nonetheless... The stitching drives me backwards. They rock.

. Single-needle stitching . One row at a time .

. Perfect Proportion .

. Perfect Balance .

. Great Cowgirl boots . Unmarked . Maker unknown .

My hat's off to you Tex,
Thanks for helping me keep the record straight.
-JD

Texas Cowgirls' Boots: Collection J. Davis

Photography: J. Davis

The Roundup

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 16:20:00 +0000

The 20th Annual Boot & Saddle Makers Trade Show takes place October 3 and 4 this year at The MPEC in Wichita Falls, Texas. Guaranteed to be a good time, the Roundup provides a great opportunity to meet your maker face-to-face.

Email Eddie or Kathy Kimmel at kimmels@itexas.net for more info.

See you there!

John L. Little Cowboy Boots

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 24 May 2008 16:02:00 +0000

Lucien Little founded Little's Boot Company in 1915. He started off as a shoe salesman for Southwest Texas and began his business by opening a shoe store on Commerce Street in downtown San Antonio, Texas.

Business was good, Lucien expanded and opened a shoe repair department. One of the cobblers Lucien hired was also a bootmaker. That cobbler taught Lucien's son Ben, how to make cowboy boots... and he taught Ben well.

John, Ben and Lucien Little

By the 1940s Ben Little was creating fancy cowboy boots with pointed toes and pitched heels, overlays and dense rows of stitching. He enjoyed a reputation equal to his contemporary Cosimo Lucchese and the Little Boot Shop was one of San Antonio's premier bootmakers.

Bootmakers Devil in the Details

Ben had two sons... John and Dave. Both were to become master bootmakers. Ben died in 1966 and John took over the business. He was the oldest and under his supervision the Little Boot Shop continued to make top quality traditional Western cowboy boots.

Killer cowboy boots. Made by John L. Little.

Tough as nails. Uncompromising. Brutally elegant.

The cowboy boot as art

"Bad Boy" boots

Cowboy attitude as art

John L. Little was a master. He made cowboy boots.

Made 'em right. Made 'em beautiful.
.

Dave Little

Dave Little is not only a master bootmaker, he is a formidable artist as well. He began to push the boundaries of the conventional cowboy boot in the 1970s. In the process Little has redefined the art and craft of the western boot. Today, Little's Boots offers an outstanding western boot... Perfectly proportioned. Impeccably crafted. Superb quality.

Dave, along with his daughter Sharon, continues a tradition started over 90 years ago... creating handmade western boots that are far more than the sum of their parts. Little's boots continually raise the bar. Remarkable boots made by a remarkable gentleman.

I acquired these bad boys many moons ago. No longer wearable. Too many rodeos. Too many roads. Too many Saturday nights. Still powerfully beautiful, they are great display boots. Retired and available for purchase as collectibles only... visit my website or drop me a line if you're interested.

John L. Little Cowboy Boots: Collection J. Davis
Vintage Photographs: Collection J. Davis
All other photography: J. Davis

Teitzel-Jones Cowboy Boots

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 23:01:00 +0000

This is the pair of boots I'd grab if my house was burning down.

Bespoke Cowboy boots made in Witchita, Kansas by Teitzel-Jones in the 1920s.

"J. C. Teitzel established himself as the premier cavalry officer bootmaker as he positioned his shop in 1875 just outside the main gate of Fort Riley, Kansas, the leading command for the U.S. Army’s Cavalry Corps. It makes one wonder if Custer died with Teitzel boots on."
- Daniel Lees

"In 1916, Teitzel moved his business to Wichita, Kansas, and joined with Schuyler Jones, Sr., to form the Teitzel-Jones Boot Company. They had the largest boot making plant in the Southwest. Teitzel brought with him a huge list of customers from Fort Riley that proved to be a boon during World War I. During the war, the company worked around the clock to make boots to supply the government. Jones would also go to many military posts to measure officers for custom-made boots. Teitzel-Jones were providers of boots for West Point Military Academy, the National Park Service and others. They became famous for their boots and shoes for military officers, cowboy boots, and custom made shoes."
- Michelle Enke

High-flown, jaw dropping cowboy boots

A master cordwainer and designer, J.C. Teitzel also created a line of "Made by Teitzel" leather fashions for women.

Daniel Lees, old coot, cowboy, writer and fellow keeper of the flame is authoring a book that will shine some well deserved, and long overdue light, on the art and the makers (including J.C. Teitzel) of tooled leather fashions and furnishings made from 1900 to 1929.

Tentatively titled Artistic, Modeled Leather of the Arts & Crafts Era, it will be published later this year by Schiffer Publishing Ltd.

Boot Photography: J. Davis.
Teitzel-Jones Cowboy Boots: Collection J. Davis.
Vintage Photographs: Collection J. Davis.

Cowboy Boots: The Missing Index

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 14:53:00 +0000

Cowboy Boots by Tyler Beard is a book I refer to frequently. The photography by Jim Arndt is outstanding. Excellent... that's one word that comes to mind. Inclusive is the other. If you're reading this post Cowboy Boots should be on your book shelf. It is a standard reference on cowboy boots and the men and women who make them.

Boot Nut Extraordiniare Jennifer June referred to Cowboy Boots frequently while she was writing her cowboy boot book. There's a lot of information in Beard's book. June organized all that information and came up with The Missing Index Version 1.0. Her first eBook, it is an ideal companion to Cowboy Boots.

At $3.99 Jenn's eBook is a bargin. Help keep the flame alive and do yourself a favor, buy The Missing Index. Your purchase will support the work of The Cowboy Boot Web Page... and help you wrap your mind around the art of the boot.

1918 Blucher Custom Boots, Style No. 200

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 02:17:00 +0000

Vera McGinnis

Made for Vera McGinnis, the first Cowgirl to wear pants in the rodeo arena, by the Blucher Custom Boot Company in 1918. This is the pair of boots I reach for whenever someone asks me "How can a pair of cowboy boots be a work of art?".

More than hide and glue and thread and sweat and tools and blood and tears. These boots are. They have a presence. A voice that speaks of life and death and immortality. Everything in-between and ever-after.

If you're an "old hand" here, you know I'm a fan of Blucher boots... they made a boot that walked the walk and talked the talk. Vera McGinnis loved to rodeo. A World Champion Rodeo Trick Rider and Rodeo Relay Rider, Vera wore Blucher Boots.

Vera McGinnis In The Drunken Ride. Pendleton Round Up. W.S. Bowman

In 1934, her racehorse fell. Vera's back was broken in five places. Her neck, her right hip and some ribs were also broken. The doctors told her she would never ride or walk again. Sometimes it's hard, if not impossible, to keep a Cowgirl down. She rode and walked again.

Vera was inducted into the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame in 1979 and the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum Hall of Fame in 1985. A natural athelete, Vera recalled the day she decided to quit her office job and join the rodeo:

"If I'd pulled up right then, I likely would have missed the years of hardship, heartache, fun, adventure, a smidgen of fame, and finally, a broken body. But I'm glad I didn't, for I can honestly say the glamor never faded. It dimmed once in a while when I was hurt or overworked, but after a rest I always felt that I wouldn't trade being a rodeo cowgirl for any other profession."

- Alva Johnston, "Tenor on Horseback," Saturday Evening Post, September 2, 1939

Licks and kicks aplenty. Hard work and hard knocks. Made tough. Made beautiful. These Blucher Custom boots are as charismatic as the lady that wore them. Vera's autobiography, Rodeo Road; My Life As a Pioneer Cowgirl, is an entertaining recollection of her time.

Vera McGinnis died in 1990.

Her boots are still kicking...

Boot Photography: J. Davis
Blucher Boots, Collection: J. Davis
Vintage Photographs, Collection: J. Davis

1950s Lucchese Cowgirl Boots

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 22:22:00 +0000

Samuel Lucchese started making boots for the U.S. Cavalry in 1883. The Lucchese Bros. shop was in Fort Sam Houston, Texas... a small family-run business, they made very fine boots and shoes. Business was good and the shop was turning out thirty-five pairs of boots a day at the beginning of World War I.

Cosimo Lucchese, Samuel's son, took over the business in the 1920s. Cosimo, a master designer with impeccable taste and a keen eye, was well aware of the "Hollywood vogue" for Western clothes and fanciful boots. Lucchese was soon producing the most elegant, flamboyant and expensive Cowboy and Cowgirl boots money could buy.

Lucchese made these boots for World Champion Bronc Rider Vivian White in the early 1950s. Like the lady that wore them, they are remarkable in all respects. Works of art that add up to more, much more, than the sum of their parts.

Boots with elaborate inlays and overlays. Boots with Rococo wing-tips and counter foxing. Fanciful Baroque stitching. This was Lucchese's "Golden Age". Nothing was impossible or improbable.

Cosimo Lucchese and his team of master boot makers created extraordinary, made-to-measure Western boots. Boots that were ornate, not gaudy. No details were overlooked. No compromises were made.

Lucchese's "Golden Age" came to an end when Cosimo Lucchese died in 1961. His son, Sam Jr., took over the business. He developed an elegant and refined look that's still around today. Under Sam Jr.'s management, the Lucchese Boot Company enjoyed a reputation for using the best quality hides and employing the best craftsmen to make the best "stock" Western boots a man could buy.

Sam Jr. sold the business in 1970. With that sale, the Lucchese name was all that remained. A lack of leadership combined the corporate focus on profitability resulted in a lesser product. The Lucchese name began to suffer and their reputation was trashed over the coming years.

Lucchese has changed hands several times since and regained some of what was lost. Lucchese boots today have Sam Jr.s "look". But that's about as far as it goes. No more custom work to speak of. To their credit, Lucchese is the only factory producing their boots in the USA. The new breed of Lucchese boots are what they are, but they're not for me.

Photography: J. Davis

Doubleday's Cowgirls

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 19:02:00 +0000

Three of my favorite things: Cowgirls. Rodeo. Photography. I was doing some research for an upcoming post and ran across an online exhibit not to be missed...

Two Rodeo Publicity Cars, circa 1945

Put together by the staff of the Donald C. & Elizabeth M. Dickinson Research Center the exhibit, "Doubleday's Cowgirls: Women in the Rodeo", provides an excellent opportunity for folks to see some of R.R. Doubleday's finest work. The essay accompanying the exhibition is entertaining, informative and inclusive. Do not pass this exhibit by, it's a helluva of good ride! A solid 10 on my scorecard.

My hat's off to Chuck Rand, Karen Spilman and Jennifer Wochner. The work they do everyday is vital to understanding and preserving our culture. It would be a sad and different world were it not for their efforts.

The Dickinson Research Center serves as the library for the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The work they do there is important. I encourage you to join the Museum. Support their efforts to help us better understand the American West: a region with a history firmly entrenched in our national culture.

Photo: Ralph R. Doubleday. Negative, safety sheet film, 5"x7"
Collection: National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum

Will James: American Cowboy. 1892-1942

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 17:40:00 +0000

"Lone Cowboy" ca. 1920-1930

"Drifter, dreamer, artist and story-teller..." That's how one author begins her summary of the life and times of Will James. To that list I would add American Cowboy.

"In A Bad Way" 1928

Will James was a "top hand". He worked with rough stock and served a little time in prison for rustling. James took more than his share of knocks from the rough stock he wrangled. Those knocks took him from his working cowboy life to that of a full time artist and author.

"A Cow Outfit Of My Own" 1929

James wrote as though he was telling you a story. Natural and easy-going, his short stories and novels had, and continue to have, a large audience. He was an accomplished artist. His drawings and paintings illustrate his "yarns" with authority...

"Rope Corral" 1929

More than the sum of it's parts, James' work comes from the inside out. As it should be. I've read most everything Will James wrote. His drawings and paintings are never far from my mind's eye.

"The Horse Thief" 1929

A tumultuous life. An addiction to drink. Will James died penniless on September 3, 1942. He was inducted into the Nevada Writers Hall of Fame in 1991.

"All's Fine" 1930

Will James. American Cowboy. He sticks.

Books, Limited and Open edition prints by Will James are available from The Will James Art Company in Billings, Montana.

"Lone Cowboy" Portrait of Will James: Attributed to Charles Duncan.
Yellowstone Art Museum. Permanent Collection. Gift of Virginia Snook.

All other works: Will James.
Collection: J. Davis. Photography: J. Davis.

Cordwainery and Cowboy Boots

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 17:11:00 +0000

Cowboy boots are a uniquely American art form... but their "look" owes much to 19th century European culture and German shoemaking. Shoemaking was a valued and respected art in Europe. The shoemaker apprenticeship program taught young men the art of cordwainery and the craft of cobbling.

cordwainer:
"shoemaker, leatherworker," c.1100, from Anglo-Fr. cordewaner, from O.Fr. cordoan "(leather) of Cordova," the town in Spain whose leather was favored by the upper class for shoes.

Many cowboy bootmakers were of German heritage. The Hyer brothers were first-generation Americans. Their parents were German immigrants. Charles and Edward learned shoe making from their father, William, who had worked as a shoemaker since coming to America. G.C. Blucher was Austrian. J.C. Teitzel and C.C. Dehner were of German ancestry.

The Art of C.H. Hyer

The boots worn by the trail-riding cowboys were derived from two popular European military boot styles, the Wellington and the Hessian.

Wellington boots gained popularity in England when men started wearing trousers rather than tight britches. Usually worn under the pant leg, Wellington boots had below-the-knee tops with side seams, straight stacked heels, square toes and cloth tape pull-on straps. The tops were cut straight across or curved slightly higher in front and frequently had stitching around their top edge.

19th Century Hessian style Military Boots

Hessian boots, also known as Austrian boots, were named for the German city state of Hesse. Worn by Hessian troops in the Revolutionary War and similar to Wellington boots, Hessian boots are distinguished mainly by a V-cut in the center of the top. Large tassels were often hung from the center of the V-cut. Distinctive and fashionable, Hessian boots were popularized by German dandies in late 18th century England. The tasseled short boots worn by Drum Majorettes continue this tradition today.

C.H. Hyer

Charles Hyer is often credited with inventing the first distinctive cowboy boot in the mid 1870s. The story goes that a cowboy from Colorado or Texas stopped at the Hyer Brothers shop in Olathe, Kansas in 1875 or '76. The cowboy was wearing Civil War era Calvary boots and he wanted a pair of boots with a pointed toe that would slide easily into his stirrup. The boots had to have high, slanted heels that would hold his stirrup on a bucking horse and the cowboy wanted high tops with scallops in the front and back.

Hyer Brothers, Olathe, Kansas. ca. 1875

Charles made that cowboy a pair of boots just like he wanted. Other cowboys saw and admired Hyer's handiwork and orders started coming into the shop. Hyer was one of the first boot makers to use a self-measuring kit and mail orders to grow his business. Before long C.H. was running a boot-making factory that employed scores of highly skilled workers, most were from Austria, Germany, Poland and Hungary.

1930s Mail-Order Hyer Cowboy Boots

In their heyday, Hyer was the leading cowboy boot company in America, G.C. Blucher did the best custom work and Teitzel-Jones made the best military boots. Given that the cowboy boot was derived from a military boot, it is not surprising that Hyer also made boots for the military. Hyer and Teitzel-Jones had sales reps, known as fitters, who would travel from military post to military post making measurements and taking orders from Calvary officers for their boots. Hyer and Teitzel-Jones quickly became the major boot suppliers to the military.

Teitzel-Jones Boot Company

Military boots were J.C. Teitzel's main business. He started making boots in 1875 and he made boots for numerous high ranking U.S. Cavalry officers. His shop was adjacent to Fort Riley, home of the largest, and the last, horse cavalry units in the country. In 1916 Teitzel moved his shop to Wichita, Kansas where he joined forces with Schuyler Jones. Teitzel's partner, C.C. Dehner, chose to stay in Ft. Riley. The Dehner Company, now located in Omaha, Nebraska continues to make fine Riding boots and boots for the military and law enforcement agencies the world over.

The Art of J.C. Teitzel

Schuyler Jones assumed full ownership of the company in 1930 and Teitzel-Jones continued to make boots for the U.S. military until the horse cavalry was phased out in WWII. They also made some of the finest cowboy boots around. Master boot maker Carl McDowell got his start by working as a handyman at Teitzel-Jones in 1933. When he left to open his own shop in 1946 he was the bottoming room foreman.

Carl McDowell (l.) with some of his boots. ca. 1950

The Hyer Boot Company closed in 1977, ending a century-old family tradition of making premium quality Western boots. The Ben Miller Boot Company in El Paso owns the rights to their name.

Teitzel-Jones closed in 1950 after 75 years of making some of the best riding and cowboy boots you could buy.

Carl McDowell died in May, 2005. He was 93 years old. He was a master bootmaker and loved what he did.

The Blucher Boot Co. is still alive and kicking doing what they've always done.

The C.H. Hyer 1930s Mail-Order Cowboy Boots are available for sale.
Please contact me for details.